


Two Bodies, One Heart

by EnglishPoet18



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 20:33:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 36,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3147719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnglishPoet18/pseuds/EnglishPoet18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This picks up at the recent season and explores what happens to Daryl and Carol after Carol has been banished from the prison by Rick. This is a Caryl fic so you have been warned if that isn't your ship! (Daryl/Carol) I own nothing from The Walking Dead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**_..._ **

Daryl trudged through the depths of the woods wearily. The day was overcast and bitterly cold, the clouds having settled in the sky casting the earth with grey tones. He was tired and uncaring, but he still surged forward, driven by some unseen urge to continue.

Today marked one year since he had left the prison. One year since he had felt the betrayal of his blood brother/best friend. One year since he had almost killed the man and taken off into the sunset on his bike. The images, still fresh in his mind after all of these months played through his brain like a movie that was set to repeat and simply left forgotten.

_Daryl had been trying all day to figure out where Carol was. He was irritated and he was tired of having to hunt down Rick for the information. If he didn't know any better he would think Rick was avoiding him. He knew better than that though. Rick was a stand-up guy, a leader, and he would never shy away from telling Daryl if something were truly wrong. Daryl repeated this to himself over and over as he searched for the man who was supposed to have the answers that he was seeking._

_He finally found him out by the fences where he could have sworn he had checked all but thirty minutes ago. As he approached Rick, he began to feel a sense of unease wash over him. Something just didn't sit well with him about the whole thing. Why was it so hard for someone to tell him where Carol was?_

" _Hey," He called as he approached Rick._

_Rick glanced back at him and paused in the act of leaning two by fours against the fences to keep them upright. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt and pulled off his gloves to take a drink of water from a bottle he had sitting on the ground._

" _Hey," Rick finally said._

_Daryl stared at his friend. He could see dark circles beneath his eyes indicating a lack of sleep or something else that he wasn't aware of. "Where tha hell is Carol? Everybody's been tellin' me I should talk ta you, but you been a man o' mystery today. What's up?" Daryl finally asked._

_Rick sighed and looked around, "Walk with me," He said. Daryl nodded and they fell into step beside one another. Daryl was beginning to get impatient when finally Rick began to speak, "Carol is…no longer with us," Rick started._

_Daryl froze in mid-step, staring at Rick warily, "What'chu mean she ain't with us?" Daryl asked._

" _She confessed to the murders of Karen and David so I sent her away," Rick stated. Daryl stared at him in astonishment as he tried to process this new information. Rick continued, "I gave her supplies, a car, and she has plenty of fuel. She should be safe."_

" _Safe? Safe out there by 'er fuckin' self?" Daryl's voice rose and attracted the attention of Michonne and Carl who were out at the garden._

" _I couldn't bring her back here Daryl. My kids are here and she killed someone. One of those people was someone that Tyreese cared very deeply for or did you forget that?" Rick asked softly, his voice strained._

_Daryl clenched his fists by his side as his breathing became labored. He was fighting with everything he had to control his temper. "Tyreese? Ya gonna blame not bringin' 'er back on Tyreese? Fuck that! Ya know Carol, Rick! She ain't gonna hurt no kids an' especially not yer kids. Who tha hell ya think took care of 'em when ya went batshit crazy after Lori died?" Daryl snarled. He leaned in closer to Rick, "Or did ya forget?" He threw the words back into Rick's face and to Rick's credit he stood there and took everything Daryl dished to him. Daryl figured that was what made him the most pissed. The fact that Rick had never apologized for his actions._

_Daryl's fist shot out and connected with Rick's jaw. Rick stumbled back a few steps, his hand coming up to cradle his jaw. Daryl briefly heard shouts and footsteps behind him, but he tuned them all out except for Rick. Rick eyed him for a second, trying to judge whether or not he needed to reciprocate Daryl figured. He tossed his crossbow on the ground and shook off a hand that was placed on his shoulder. Growling, he ran at Rick and suffered a blow to his stomach as Rick's cop skills began to kick in. Daryl still had the upper hand however especially after his many years of beating and getting the hell beat out of him by Merle. He and Merle fought dirty, something they didn't teach people in the police academy._

_Daryl faked a swing at Rick who immediately fell for it and then used his other hand to punch him directly in the crotch. Rick yelled and went down to his knees, holding out his hand for Michonne to stay away when she started to intercept._

_Daryl felt a slight trickle of liquid running down his face and he swiped at it to see that it was blood. He didn't remember getting a cut on his forehead but he must have at some point. He wiped at the blood and glared at Rick._

" _Get out. You're not welcome here anymore," Rick gasped._

_Daryl nodded and picked up his crossbow, ignoring the group that surrounded them, "Fine by me," He glanced at all of them, "You can all rot in hell as far as I'm concerned. Ain't lost nothin' here. Ya wanna put yer life decisions into the hands o' this man, ya go right tha fuck ahead. I'm out," He pushed his way past several people and climbed aboard his bike, revving the engine loudly. Maggie opened the gates for him, her expression one of guilt and sadness and he drove through, never looking back._

That had been the last time he had seen any of them. Surprisingly he hadn't run into them, but then again he hadn't been looking for them either. He had, however been looking for Carol and he had thought that he might have come across places that she had been once or twice, but when he had staked them out he had never seen her. That had been months ago. He had long since stopped looking, having giving up on his efforts to find someone who he didn't even know lived any longer.

A few months ago he had come across a woman named Chloe trapped inside of a bus with several walkers attempting to get inside of it and chew her to bits. He had taken the five walkers out with ease, saving the woman from what would have been a sure death had he not come by. He accepted her thanks and attempted to go on about his way, but she wouldn't leave him alone and finally he had relented and let her come along against his better judgment.

It had been nice to have company and after a while he had gotten used to her presence. He learned that she had once had a husband and a daughter, both of whom she had recently lost which had left her vulnerable to every walker she had encountered. She wasn't the greatest at killing them, but over time she had improved and they had become somewhat of an unofficial team of sorts.

One night as they lounged around a small fire that Daryl had built it had happened. Chloe had moved in to kiss him and Daryl had become frozen to the spot, alarms going off in the back of his mind. His lips had remained motionless even if other parts of him hadn't. She had pushed onwards and Daryl had grudgingly let her. They had used each other, seeking comfort and release when it had been so long for both of them. For Daryl it had been a first, but since she had had a daughter it clearly hadn't been a first for her. The whole time they were together he only saw Carol and when he had spurted inside of Chloe, it was Carol's name that fell from his lips. He had rolled away from her afterwards, feeling guilty for being with her when she wasn't the woman that he wanted.

Chloe had questioned him about Carol once and he had become so irritated with her that she had taken it back. Since then, she hadn't mentioned the name Carol ever again and she overlooked him every time they had sex and he said Carol's name again. Daryl hated himself for it, but he felt powerless to stop it. Sex was a stress reliever for him, but he felt guilty that she clearly knew she was being used to fill a presence that was no longer there.

Then one day he had lost Chloe. Two months they had been together and then she was gone. They had set out on a run together, trying to horde up food and medication for the upcoming winter months that had been fast approaching. Chloe was really bad about wandering off and thinking that as long as Daryl was around she didn't have to watch her back because he would watch it for her. She thought of him as some kind of superhero or something and he hated that. He definitely was no superhero. Most days he considered himself lucky if he even made it through the day without conflict of any sort anymore.

He had told Chloe to keep an eye out while he ducked inside of a pharmacy, but she had gotten distracted by the display at the front window. She had never seen the four walkers coming until it was too late. Daryl had jumped across the counter, trying to fire off arrows as he ran but it had been too late. He had cried out in anger as he watched the walker tear into Chloe's neck, pulling out muscle and tendons as she screamed. Angrily, Daryl had taken his knife and stabbed the walker repeatedly. He was so tired of things he gave a shit about in this world getting taken from him. He felt like the punch line to life's cruel joke. He had sat with Chloe until she had taken her last breath and then he shoved his knife into her skull, keeping her from returning to life as someone different.

...

Daryl traveled through back yards of houses, trying to make it back to the house where he had left off his scavenging the other day. He had tied a ribbon around the doorknob so that he would recognize the house. Most of his days lately were spent traveling on foot or in his truck when he felt it necessary. Today his goal was to simply finish searching the houses on this block and then if time permitted, start on the next block until he had enough supplies to last him a while.

As he left the yard of one house and moved onto the next, he paused. There had been the sure sound of a footstep and he glanced out at his surrounding through his long shaggy hair. He was way overdue for a haircut, but he didn't care. It helped to shield his eyes from the sun most days and it wasn't as if fashion was a high priority in the zombie apocalypse. He crouched down behind a small shed and waited. If it were walkers, he would kill them without question. If it happened to be people, then he would try to keep going on his way without being seen. He preferred little to no contact with anyone these days.

He heard the soft snap of a twig seconds before he whirled to stand and then felt his world spin as he was laid out onto his back by the sweeping of a shovel under his legs. Even though his head was spinning his hand shot out and wrapped around a slender ankle tugging roughly and causing someone to curse and fall against his chest. He immediately searched for and grabbed onto two slender wrists as the person lying on top of him bucked against him.

"I suggest ya hold still unless ya tryin' ta attract tha attention o' walkers," He growled roughly.

The person froze then and Daryl took a minute to get his bearings and his eyesight cleared. Finally he shifted the person and sat up, glad that they weren't protesting anymore. In fact, they seemed to have gone limp and when he opened his eyes and focused on them he realized that they had indeed passed out. Rolling his eyes he turned them over so that he could frisk for weapons. His blood ran cold when he was faced with the one person who had haunted his dreams so passionately at night. The one person who he had resigned to think dead.

The face of Carol stared back at him.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**...**

Carol slowly came to, coming to the realization that she was inside somewhere lying on a couch. There was a blanket covering her that she had never seen before and she glanced around warily. This time when she had heard Daryl's voice it had seemed so real to her, more real than any other time she had thought she had heard it. She must have passed out, but she didn't know how she had gotten inside of this house and on this couch. She was instantly on alert, her hand inching under the blanket to her knife that she kept strapped to her side. When her fingers came up empty, she fought back an urge to panic and went in search of her backup knife that was hidden from prying eyes.

"Yer up."

There was that voice again and Carol froze. She didn't know too many people with a Southern drawl that thick and one of those people she knew for sure was dead. She sat up quickly, pulling her knife out at the same time. There was a single candle lit on the table next to the couch, but the rest of the house was cast in shadows from the dying light of the afternoon.

He shifted and that's when she saw him sitting in the chair across from the couch. Her throat went dry and her knife slipped from her fingers, bouncing lightly to the carpeted floor beneath her feet. He was mostly cast in shadow, but it didn't matter. She had spent so much time studying him at the prison when he wasn't aware that she would know that face anywhere and that body…That body teased her dreams many a lonely night.

"Daryl?" She managed to choke out.

Daryl leaned forward in the chair, bringing himself further into the light cast out by the flame of the candle. She gasped in shock and something close to excitement at the fact that he was finally there. He was right in front of her and she didn't have to imagine him any longer. He was _real_.

"It's me." He replied.

Carol felt the tears slip down her cheeks and she quickly swiped at her eyes, a little embarrassed by her emotional outburst. "I'm sorry I knocked you down with the shovel," She said.

Daryl was quiet for several minutes and then he chuckled, "Definitely weren't expectin' it," He replied. "I don't remember showin' ya how ta use no shovel as a weapon," He said.

Carol let out a burst of laughter through her tears, "You didn't," She said shakily. "I use it to clear the area when I come out during the day. It's really useful at knocking them away from you. Gives you time to take them out if you're by yourself," She said.

Daryl nodded in understanding, "It's amazin'. I been lookin' so hard for ya an' here ya are, knockin' me on my ass," He said.

Carol paused, "You've been looking for _me_?"

"Yeah. Ta be honest though I hadn't looked in a while. 'Bout near gave up on findin' ya alive," He said softly.

Carol clasped her hands together tightly, trying to stop them from shaking. "It's been a long time," She said.

Daryl nodded, "A year today."

The fact that Daryl knew exactly how long it had been surprised her. She stared at the man across from her as if he might disappear within minutes and she would never see him again. It didn't feel real that after all this time he was here with her. She had spent so much time alone the past year that she almost didn't know how to socialize with anyone. She had become somewhat of a recluse of sorts, drifting in and out of her hideout only for supplies. It had been a long year of moving from place to place before finding her current home in the fallout shelter behind someone's house. Carol had taken out the three walkers that had occupied it and claimed it for herself. She spent most of her time there and she felt relatively safe there. She had given up on anyone from the prison coming for her within the first two months. It had hurt her more than she wanted to admit, but she had moved on with her life such as it was.

"So are you out on a run? Are any of the others with you?" Carol asked him.

Daryl looked away from her for a few moments, staring off at the wall as if reliving some distant memory. Then he shook his head softly, "Ain't seen any of 'em in a year," He admitted.

Carol was shocked. _Did that mean he had left right after her? Had he been upset because she was gone?_ "What happened?" She was almost afraid to ask, but she did anyway.

He sighed, "Rick told me he made ya leave. I didn't agree with it an' we had a fight. Packed my shit up an' left ta come an' find ya. Didn't figure on it takin' me this long though," He explained.

"A fight?" Carol frowned in concern. "Oh Daryl, you and Rick? Rick is like a brother to you," She said.

Daryl pressed his lips together tightly, "Ain't no brother o' mine. My brother's dead. Ain't got no family. I'm not gon' sit by an' watch him make stupid ass decisions that nobody questions. Much better out here anyway. Nobody ta answer to…jus' me."

Carol stared at him, their eyes meeting and holding in the soft light. She could see the sadness there that he tried to keep others from seeing and her heart ached for him. She had missed him so much. She wanted to ask him if he was going to stay for a while, but she was scared. _What if he said no?_ She didn't think she could handle that. So instead she stood up and he glanced at her curiously.

"Want to come see my place?" She asked as she held out her hand to him.

He stared at her for a minute and then at her hand. A smile teased the corners of his mouth and then he nodded softly, grabbing her with his large rough hand and standing up even though she knew he didn't need any help. She couldn't help the grin that spread on her face as he followed behind her.

...

Daryl was surprised when Carol led him to a fallout shelter. He hadn't seen one in so long that he had to stop and stare for a minute. It was constructed in such a way that it wasn't entirely obvious to anyone that passed quickly through that it was even there. She took a key from her pocket and unlocked the padlock that was on the outside of the door and he followed her inside. She clicked on a flashlight before closing and locking the door behind them. It took Daryl's eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness and together they made their way down the short set of stairs to the space below. He watched as Carol moved with ease as if she didn't even need the light to guide her. Placing the flashlight so that the beam cast a glow on the ceiling he watched her face as she worked on lighting a lantern. He was momentarily struck by her beauty as the light cast a soft glow across her features and his stomach twisted painfully.

Finally she managed to get the lantern lit and he blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the light. He was surprised at her setup. Several shelves lined the walls of the room on one side and it seemed as though she had made use of every ounce of space upon them. There was a barrel that he assumed held fresh water and three bunks that were bolted to the walls at one end. He saw several weapons on one shelf and he shook his head in wonder. She had quite the setup here. He didn't know how she had managed to stay here so long in the enclosed space with no sunlight or anything.

Daryl took his crossbow off and set it down on one of the bunks, not really knowing where to go from here. She hadn't invited him to stay or anything and he wasn't sure what to say to her that wouldn't sound stupid like, "Where do ya piss at?" _Yeah. Like that._ He groaned inwardly at the stupid question.

Carol only smiled and pointed to the door, "Outside. There's nowhere in here to do that. I have a pot for emergencies though," She blushed a little and gestured under one of the bunks.

Daryl nodded feeling all kinds of stupid. _A whole year looking for this woman and he asks her where she takes a piss at?_ "Nice setup ya got here."

"Thanks," Carol replied. "It's taken me a while, but I've been trying to prepare for winter in case it snows and I get stuck in here for a while," She said. "Do you have a place nearby?"

"I got a place, but it ain't really nearby. Usin' an attic in one o' tha houses a couple miles back. Was lookin' for supplies too, but I suppose tha reason I ain't findin' much is 'cause they already been picked over," He looked at her pointedly and she smiled and shrugged.

They both stood there a little awkwardly as the conversation stalled. He wasn't sure if it was because they were both so nervous or because they were just used to the quiet since they had technically been on their own for a year.

"Well," Daryl began. "I guess it's gettin' late an' I should be gettin' back. Ya gonna be alright here?"

Carol shifted and swallowed, "You can stay if you want," She said quickly. Then she cleared her throat, "I mean there's no use in you trying to hurry back at this time of the day. It's dangerous."

Daryl watched her for a few moments, relieved that she had asked him to stay. He had wanted to stay, but he wasn't going to invite himself. He was drawn to her now and a part of him was scared that if he left, he might never see her again so he played along.

"Sure. Weren't lookin' forward ta travelin' back this late anyhow," He said.

She smiled at him, "Are you hungry? I could fix us something to eat," She offered.

He shook his head. He had long since learned how to survive off of very little and with the way his stomach was feeling right now he wasn't sure that he could keep anything down anyway. He was amazed though how easily she slipped back into that role of caretaker. He looked her up and down and nowhere did he see any signs of a cold-blooded killer. This was Carol, the woman who took care of everyone else, even disregarding her own needs to see to others.

He gestured to the bunk across from the one he was sitting on, "Why don'tcha take a break? I know how ta fix myself somethin' ta eat if I get hungry," He said.

She finally nodded and sat down on the other bunk to take off her boots. He followed her movements with his own and after a few minutes they were both quiet again as they lay across from one another on top of the bunks. It wasn't the most comfortable thing he had ever slept on, but he had also slept on a lot worse too. In the silence he could hear her shallow breathing and he took comfort in knowing that she was close by. He was almost close enough to touch her if he had the guts to do so. There was only about a foot of space separating the two bunks.

"Goodnight Daryl," Carol said softly.

"Night," He replied.

Daryl wasn't sure if he would get any sleep at all knowing that she was there and he shifted in the bed for several minutes trying to get comfortable. As his eyelids drew heavy and started to drift close, he clung to those last few minutes of consciousness, hoping that when he woke up he wouldn't find that it had all been a dream.

...

 


	3. Chapter 3

...

Carol woke up sometime in the middle of the night having come alert by a noise that was out of place. She snapped her head up from the pillow and nearly jumped a foot when Daryl spoke.

"Jus' me," He said.

Carol let out a deep breath, her hand letting go of the handle of the knife that she kept under her pillow. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Can't sleep," He responded.

Her eyes struggled to see him in the darkness. Sometime in the night he must have blown out the lantern that she kept burning through the night. She shifted around on her bed and crawled under the covers to ward off the chill that had settled in the room. The downfall about being in the shelter meant that it stayed a little cooler than other places being that it was slightly underground.

"Want me to get you anything?" She asked as she blew on her cold hands gently with her warm breath.

Daryl snorted, "I told ya my legs an' hands ain't broke woman. Quit tryin' ta take care o' everythin'!"

She sighed, "I can't help it. It's my nature to take care of people," She said softly.

She heard him moving around and then suddenly he loomed in front of her bunk, "Move yer ass over woman," He said. She blinked and then shifted over to make room. He climbed under the blankets. "Ya shiverin' ain't helpin' none. Com'ere," He coaxed.

Carol didn't need any more encouragement and she quickly moved over until she was flush against his side. She let out a satisfied sigh as his warmth seeped into her bones. The man was like a furnace and she was grateful. She was also surprised that he had offered. It wasn't Daryl's usual nature to make offers of that sort without prodding.

"God, you're so warm Daryl," She commented. "You must have hot water in your veins," She burrowed her head into the crook of his arm as he chuckled.

"Quit that shit!" He snickered as he shifted slightly. "Ya tryin' ta make yaself a hole?" He asked.

Carol smiled, "Daryl Dixon," She teased. "Don't tell me you're ticklish."

He huffed, "Ain't ticklish, jus' don't want'cha borin' a hole inta me."

She giggled into the darkness and sighed contentedly. She was thoroughly warm now, but she didn't want Daryl to go anywhere. After all this time it was kind of nice to be held. Even if that's all that he would ever offer her, she would be happy.

"You ever think we would end up here?" She asked quietly.

He grunted and she felt his beard moving across the top of her head as he turned his face. "No," He said finally. "Gotta say I ain't ever saw this comin'."

She yawned sleepily, trying to stay awake and keep him talking for as long as he responded to her, "What did you think was going to happen?"

She pictured him in her mind, staring up at the ceiling, chewing over his answer to that question. She knew that if his hands weren't occupied with holding her at the moment he would be chewing on his fingers. He drummed his fingers across her shoulder in the silence instead.

"Hell I dunno. I reckon' I figured we would be in 'bout tha same place jus' minus a few people here an' there," He finally said. "Hard ta say."

It wasn't the kind of answer she was hoping for, but then again she had known better than to get her hopes up. It wasn't like Daryl was just going to waltz back into her life and profess his undying love for her or anything. They had a bond, that much was true, but as far as anything romantic was concerned she was unsure. They had been comfortable with each other a year ago before she had to leave the prison and she had missed that. It had taken them a long time to get to that point because Daryl had a tough exterior, but over time he had relaxed with her to the point that they could tease each other affectionately.

Carol smirked into the darkness, "Wanna get naked for old time's sake?"

"Yer somethin' else, ya know that?" Daryl huffed. She could hear the hint of a smile in his voice though and she snickered.

"Hey it was worth a shot," She replied.

He was silent and then, "Ya warm yet?"

 _Ah, he was avoiding her comment. Interesting._ She knew he had heard her though. Those ears of his didn't miss a thing she knew. "If I say no, will you stay?" She asked him.

It was his turn to chuckle, "Take ya ass ta sleep," He said.

Carol tightened her grip around him, "So you'll stay?"

"Christ woman! Close yer eyes!" He whispered.

She smiled and savored the feel of his warm lean body against hers. Feelings of want flooded her body, but she forced them aside. He was here, for how long she didn't know, but she was going to cherish every minute she had with him. Sporting a devilish smile, she burrowed into him again just to tease him.

He jerked beneath her and chuckled, "Dammit Carol!"

She settled down, "Night Daryl."

"Night."

...

It had turned colder out since the day before Daryl observed as he and Carol ventured outdoors. He had finally fallen asleep while holding her last night and he felt more rejuvenated this morning than he had in a long time. He had been thinking a lot about things as they had eaten a breakfast that consisted of oatmeal sprinkled with something that had tasted like cinnamon. It had been hot and Daryl had consumed it greedily, barely tasting it as the warmth slid down his throat. He hadn't had many hot meals, but it seemed as if Carol had thought of everything. She had a propane burner set up that she cooked from and as a bonus it also provided heat.

There hadn't been any walkers out when they had emerged from their little hideout and Daryl figured the cold snap had probably slowed them down considerably. He looked over at Carol who was frowning and scanning the ground.

"What's tha matter?" He asked.

"My knife. I can't find it. I noticed it was missing yesterday when I came to on that couch, but then I forgot about it. Did you happen to take it?" She asked.

Daryl shook his head, "Nope. Ain't seen it. Don't recall ya havin' it on ya neither."

"I must have dropped it then. Will you help me look?"

Daryl nodded and they set off for the spot where they had had their tumbling encounter. He spotted the knife lying on the ground seconds before she did and they both made a grab for it at the same time. She was quick, he would give her that, but he was quicker. He held the knife up and away from her as she made a grab for it. He whistled softly as he studied it, "Wicked knife," He said approvingly.

Carol smirked and put it back in its place when he handed it to her, "Thanks."

He rubbed his hands together and adjusted his bow that was hanging on his back. He wanted to go and get his stuff to bring back here, but he didn't know if she would want him to just move right in. It was a little different without the group members along as a somewhat buffer between them.

"So what's on tha agenda?" He asked.

"Well what were you doing yesterday?" Carol asked.

Daryl pointed down the row of houses, "Finishin' up my search o' these houses for supplies, but I'm guessin' they done been picked clean," He gave her a pointed look.

She smiled and nodded, "I did. I should be all set for the winter. Now all I need is someone to keep me company and I'll be all set."

"Well come on an' let's go get my shit then," Daryl said.

"Lead the way Toots," Carol commented from behind him.

" _Stop_ ," He muttered.

...

Carol helped load the last box of supplies onto the back of Daryl's truck. He had a decent supply of food and between them they would have more than enough to last the winter. She was excited as they carted boxes to the truck. It would be great to have a roommate. She hadn't been looking forward to spending the winter nights alone. She was looking forward to many nights alone with Daryl now hopefully. Things were looking up a bit for her. Daryl slammed the tailgate shut and lit a cigarette before they headed back.

"So where's the bike?" She asked him.

Daryl sighed as he blew out a cloud of smoke, "Had ta leave it. Ain't a very practical vehicle for haulin' supplies," He said softly.

Carol felt bad about that. She knew that bike had been Merle's and one of the last things that Daryl had of his brother. Daryl had always had that bike as far back as she could remember and she knew how hard that must have been for him to leave it behind. She touched his arm, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Ain't nothin' but a bike right?" He smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

She gave him a small smile in return, "I suppose you're right," She agreed even though she could tell he didn't really believe what he said.

He took one last draw from his cigarette and threw it down on the ground to crush with the heel of his boot. He cocked a brow at her, "Ya ready ta head back chief?" He asked with a mock salute at her.

This time Carol bumped his shoulder with hers playfully, " _Stop_ ," She said.

He snickered as they climbed into the truck and he fired up the engine. She glanced in the rearview mirror as they drove off, the image suddenly giving her a strong sense of deja vu of one year ago when Rick had told her she couldn't return with the group. She remembered the shock and betrayal she had experienced. He hadn't understood that she was ultimately only trying to protect them all from the virus. Killing Karen and David hadn't been easy for her, but they had both been suffering. Karen had already talked to Carol about it and told her that she wanted her to do it when the time came because Tyreese would never be able to himself. She supposed she could have explained all of that to Rick, but she was honestly tired of having to explain herself. She wasn't the same cowardly woman she had been back at the quarry. That woman was gone and in its place was a newer, improved, Carol.

"What'cha thinkin' 'bout?" Daryl's voice cut into her thoughts.

She glanced at him, "Just thinking about how glad I am that you're here," She smiled at him. He didn't need to hear all of the details about what had happened between her and Rick. It would only serve to make him mad and he had enough on his plate as it was.

He gave her a small smile in return, "Me too."

...


	4. Chapter 4

**_..._ **

The cold weather reared its ugly head a lot sooner than expected and two days later they both awoke to an icy cold room. Upon checking outside Daryl confirmed that there was a light covering of frost on the ground. It was also pouring rain out so it appeared they were going to be stuck inside most, if not _all_ of the day. Luckily they had managed to get all of Daryl's supplies inside before the weather decided to turn nasty so at least they wouldn't lack for food.

Carol rubbed her hands together over the small propane burner as steam drifted upwards from the pot of chicken noodle soup she had warming. Daryl was sitting on one of the bunks doing something with his arrows. She hadn't realized how cold it would get inside of the room, but she hoped that the heat from cooking would cast ward off some of the chill.

"Why don'tcha throw some more clothes on woman? Can hear ya teeth chatterin' from way tha hell over here," Daryl said.

Carol shivered, "I've got on two layers already," She said.

Daryl chuckled at that fact, "So that's why ya looked a little more curvy this mornin'," He commented.

Carol stuck her tongue out at him. She wasn't one of those women who filled out clothing very well. She might be if she could put on some weight, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't ever seem to gain any. She was warmed by the fact that Daryl had obviously noticed how she looked today though. They were both in need of a bath by now and Carol was sure her smell wouldn't be appealing to the senses. Her eyes landed on the metal tub she had stored in the corner. On a run a while back she had taken it for the sole purpose of having it in case she needed to take a bath indoors. That was when she hadn't had a roommate though. A very _male_ roommate at that. There was no way in this world that she would be able to bathe with Daryl in here. There wasn't any privacy and she wasn't much to look at. Being on her own for a year hadn't made her very conscious of her body and the places that needed shaving, but she hadn't really cared about all of that before now. She was sure that she resembled something close to a bear when naked. She glanced up as Daryl sighed and threw the arrow down on the bed. He got up and walked over to her, putting his hands over hers and rubbing vigorously.

"Maybe ya need ta eat ya some o' this soup an' it'll warm ya up a lil' bit," He commented. His hands continued to rub hers and she was momentarily lost in the sensation of his hands touching her.

She shivered again as another cold chill tore through her body, "You wouldn't think that the cold would bother me this badly with all of the time that we've spent outdoors in the winter months at the prison. In fact," She frowned as she thought. "I don't ever remember being this cold."

"Hope ya ain't gettin' sick," Daryl commented. He lifted her hands and brought them to his mouth where he blew on them gently with his warm breath. Carol's mouth went as dry as sandpaper at the sight and she watched him with what she was sure was a ridiculous look on her face. He lifted his eyes to hers, "Any better?" He asked.

Carol nodded even though her hands were still cold and pulled them from his grasp to stir the soup once more. There was only so much of that she could take without throwing herself at the man. She crazily wondered how in the world she thought she was going to make it through the winter months being inside of the same room as him alone. There would most likely be more days like today where they would be stuck inside all day with not a lot of ways to pass the time. She had collected a decent sized stack of books that she had placed on one of the shelves, but that would only last them so long and she honestly didn't think Daryl was much of a reader. Grabbing one of the bowls she had stacked beside her, Carol served them both up some of the steamy soup. She handed Daryl his bowl and they both stood around the heater filling their bellies silently.

"Soup's good," Daryl grunted as he shoveled in another mouthful.

"Thank you," She replied.

Carol smiled at the way he attacked the soup. He had little droplets in his beard, but she didn't say anything and instead kept eating her own soup. The warmth of the broth was warming her up a little, but not as much as she had expected and her mind drifted to the very real possibility that she could be getting sick. The thought made her a little nervous. She hadn't been sick all year long so of course she would get sick when Daryl decided to show up. Daryl finished his soup and then tipped the bowl back to drink the broth. Carol stared down into her half-eaten bowl of soup not really feeling like eating anymore at the moment. She set it to the side and Daryl craned his neck to see inside of her bowl.

"Ya ain't finished," He commented as he sucked off trails of broth from his fingers.

Carol shook her head, her stomach suddenly not feeling so good. "I don't feel so great," She admitted.

Daryl's expression became concerned and he looked her over with his intense gaze. Grabbing her arm, he tugged her over to the bunks, "Getcha' ass in this bed an' cover up. I'mma scrounge around an' see if'n I can't find ya somethin' ta take," He said.

Carol slid into the blankets and pointed towards a group of shelves, "There's some antibiotics over there on those shelves I swiped from a doctor's office," She said.

Daryl headed over to the shelves and rummaged around for a few moments before holding up a bottle, "Amox-" Daryl paused with a frown at the label and then walked back over to hand it to her.

"Amoxicillin," Carol read on the bottle. "I think I remember taking this one time before when I was younger. It's better than nothing I suppose," She said. She opened the bottle and took a swig after reading the dosage instructions. Grimacing at the taste, she passed the bottle back to Daryl. "If I fall asleep, wake me up in four hours to take some more," She said.

Daryl nodded and sat down on the bunk across from her. She huddled into the blankets, trying to will her body to stop shivering. She could hear Daryl moving around in the room, but she kept her head ducked down almost completely underneath the blankets. Minutes later she felt the blankets lift and Daryl's warm body slid in behind her. He wrapped himself around her frame and she embraced his warmth without question.

"You know you could catch it," She protested lamely.

Daryl shrugged, "Seems ta help ya from bein' so cold when I hold ya an' I ain't worried 'bout it. If it's gonna happen, it'll happen regardless if I'm holdin' ya or not."

Carol knew he was right. The space they shared was so small and he had already touched a lot of things that she had recently. Not to mention the fact that he had been sleeping with her at night for the past three days already anyway. He reached into the blankets and grabbed her icy cold hands tugging on them gently. He lifted his shirt and placed them on his warm chest, lowering his shirt back down over them to close in the warmth. Carol sighed in relief and slowly rubbed her hands across his chest, following the warm spots. If she hadn't been feeling so yucky she might have let her mind wander to other things they could do to pass the time. She felt her cheeks burn at her thoughts and she struggled to keep her mind on something neutral.

"Thank you for being here," Carol whispered.

She felt his warm breath hit her on her cheek as he tilted his head to stare down at her, "Ya'd do tha same for me," He finally responded.

Carol marveled at the vibrations beneath her hands as he talked in that deep voice he had. She hadn't ever had her hands on him like this before and even though her eyes were threatening to close on her, she didn't want to fall asleep for fear of losing the moment. "I would," Carol responded truthfully.

"Gotta take better care o' yerself though," He continued, startling her a little with his abruptness. "Skinny as a damn twig. Ya know better an' that. Ain't gotta take on so much now. Let me help ya."

Carol swallowed over a lump in her throat. She had never been good at taking care of herself. His words had made her more alert and she lay there thinking about it. "Daryl?" She asked.

"Hm?" He replied.

"Do you hate me for killing Karen and David?"

Daryl drew in a heavy breath, his arms tightening around her slightly as he moved. "Nah, I don't hate ya. Ya did what ya thought was best for tha group," He commented.

Carol nodded, relieved to know that he didn't think ill of her for it. "When you returned from your run what were people saying? Do the others hate me you think? Lizzie and Mika?"

Daryl sighed, "Ta be honest, no one really said one way or tha other ta me. I jus' kept gettin' shoved from one damn person to tha next ta try an' figure out why tha hell ya weren't there. I guess no one wanted ta be tha one ta tell me," He said.

Carol could understand that. Daryl wasn't the easiest person to break bad news to. He had come a long way since when they had first met at the quarry though. He had become her best friend in all sorts of ways and that was a bond she never wanted to break. She decided to lighten the mood a little, "Well you're not exactly the easiest person to give bad news to."

Daryl scoffed, "I ain't that bad! Ya make me sound like a bear or some shit like that," He said.

Carol smiled, "Well if the shoe fits..." She rubbed the patch of hair she had discovered in her explorations on his stomach for emphasis.

He snickered, "Cut that shit out! We already discussed this," He said.

Carol laughed softly and settled down against him contentedly, "I think I'm going to try and get some sleep now," She yawned as her eyelids dropped closed.

Daryl shifted against her and she felt a slight ruffle of her hair from his breath against the top of her head. It was comforting to be held and to feel safe, something she hadn't felt in a long time. With her eyes closed, she focused on the rise and fall of his chest against her hands.

"Sleep woman," He coaxed gently.

Carol sighed and was soon lulled to sleep by his deep and steady breathing.

...

****


	5. Chapter 5

...

Carol rolled over and extended her arm, reaching out for Daryl with her eyes closed. She was starting to get rather chilly and she wanted the warmth of his body to warm hers. She frowned when her arms spanned the bed and came up empty. Hearing his chuckle she cracked open one eye and looked up into his face staring down at her.

"Lookin' fer somethin'?" He asked.

Carol yawned, "My heater disappeared," She muttered.

He chuckled again and held out a steaming cup of what Carol hoped was the miracle of coffee. She knew it was wishful thinking, but she hadn't had a good cup of coffee in so long that she had almost forgotten what it tasted like. She raised herself into a sitting position with her back leaning against the wall and accepted the steaming mug gratefully.

Sniffing it, Carol looked over at Daryl, "What is it?" She asked.

"Jus' try it," He coaxed as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "How ya feelin'?"

Carol warmed her hands around the mug as the heat spread through her hands and sent warm shivers through her body. "I'm actually feeling pretty good. I'm still cold, but I don't feel like I did yesterday," She admitted. She was glad too because the last thing she had wanted was to get sick now. Getting sick in this world was a lot more difficult than simply getting a cold in the world before the apocalypse began. A simple cold now could mean a death sentence if one weren't careful. Carol figured it might have been the antibiotics that she had taken and the fact that Daryl had woken her up once last night to take another dose so maybe it had knocked out whatever it had been.

Daryl looked relieved, "Good cause it looks like we gon' be stuck inside again today," He commented.

Carol frowned, "Is it raining again?"

Daryl shook his head, "No, There's ice on tha ground," He replied.

Carol groaned, "Great. Too bad we don't have ice skates," She joked.

She finally took an experimental sip of the warm brew and swirled it around in her mouth. She blinked in surprise while Daryl watched her expression intently. "Hot chocolate?" She asked.

Daryl nodded, "Found it a while back. Been savin' it for tha colder weather. If ya close yer eyes, it almost tastes like coffee," He paused. "At least that's what I keep tellin' myself anyway."

Carol snickered and took several more sips of the chocolate. It traveled down her throat and settled into a delicious pool of warmth in her belly.

"So what tha hell is there ta do in here all day?" Daryl asked.

Carol shrugged as she drank the last bit of her hot chocolate, "Well we can always fool around," She suggested with the most serious face that she could muster.

Daryl let out a light chuckle, "Yeah ya must be feelin' better. I'm bein' serious," He said.

Carol snickered, feeling a little bold this morning. She leaned over and set the mug on the floor before turning to Daryl, "What if I _was_ being serious?" She asked, all traces of teasing gone from her voice. She knew she was pushing the envelope, but they spent so much time just teasing each other. Carol wanted to push a little and see what happened even if it blew up in her face in a major way. Daryl studied her with a somewhat weird expression on his face and Carol sat across from him on the bed, legs crossed, breath held. He finally averted his eyes and Carol felt her spirits slump a little bit, but she tried not to let it show. She patted his hand as she scooted to the edge of the bed to stand up.

"It's okay Daryl. I understand if it's something that you're not ready for," She said softly.

Daryl grabbed her wrist as she stood up and she stopped, her heart pounding as she waited. She could see him swallow and he rubbed his thumb over her pulse gently before releasing her wrist. Not quite knowing what it meant, but knowing that Daryl wasn't one to just initiate contact she left it alone and crossed to the other side of the room. She pulled out the large metal tub and began filling a large pot with water to heat for a bath.

Daryl turned to stare at her, "What'cha doin'?" He asked curiously.

She gave him a small smile, "I'm warming up a bath. We're both stuck inside for the day so we may as well bathe. Besides, we both stink," Carol said.

"Ya gonna do that here?" Daryl asked with a raised brow.

Carol nodded, "Well where else am I gonna do it?" She chuckled lightly.

He didn't reply and instead she saw him pick up his crossbow and fiddle with it. She slid her eyes back over to the pot of water and kept a check on the temperature so that it wouldn't scald her when she got ready to bathe in it. Once it was heated up enough she grabbed the handles and poured it into the big tub. For every pot of steamy water, she poured in one pot of water at regular temperature so that she wouldn't be there all day. She could feel Daryl's eyes on her frequently, but she tried to ignore him and focus on getting her bath ready. It took a while, but finally she was finished and she turned to find Daryl leaning back against the wall, his eyes barely open. He was watching her though, she could always feel when Daryl's eyes were on her.

"Turn your head. I'm fixing to undress so I can bathe," Carol said.

Daryl sighed and shifted so that his back was to her. Carol grabbed up a towel and a bar of soap from one of the shelves and began to undress quickly, the cold air making her hurry to climb into the warmth of the water. She let out an audible sigh of pleasure as she sank into the tub. It had been too long since she had been able to sink into something so warm.

"Ya done yet?" Daryl said gruffly.

"Yep," Carol chirped as she turned her back to him and sank further into the tub. There was silence in the room now and Carol closed her eyes as she savored the delicious heat of the water.

"So…Ya plannin' on stayin' here forever or is this jus' temporary?" Daryl asked from his perch across the room.

Carol opened her eyes a crack and stared at the wall, "I hadn't really thought that far ahead to be honest," She replied.

"This might be okay temporarily, but I ain't sure 'bout long term."

Carol let out a sigh, but didn't respond as she sat up to begin washing. She took her time washing every crack and crevice that she could reach, not really wanting the bath to end, but knowing that she would have to let Daryl have a turn. She was so engrossed in her bath that she didn't hear him cross the room and kneel next to the tub. It was only when his hand appeared in front of her suddenly that she jumped.

"Jesus Daryl! You scared me," Carol exclaimed.

He beckoned with his hand, "Gimme' tha soap," He commanded.

Carol passed him the bar of soap and sucked in a breath when he began washing her back. He didn't say anything about the small scars she had back there, but she knew that he saw them. Those eyes of his never missed a thing. He took extra time with those spots, lingering a few minutes longer there than in other places as if he could wash the memories away. His hands felt warm and wonderful against her skin and as she closed her eyes she could imagine that they were in the midst of an intimate embrace.

"You don't have to do this," Carol whispered.

Daryl snorted, "Don'tcha know by now that I don't do nothin' I don't wanna do?"

Carol smiled, "I suppose you're right."

"Hmph. I know I'm right. It'd save a lotta time if ya'd jus' keep that in mind," He said.

Carol laughed and flicked water droplets over her shoulder at him. He ducked and splashed her back, dousing her hair with water. She sputtered a bit and reached over the side to grab the towel and wipe her face. She expected Daryl to leave since her back was clearly about as clean as it would ever get. Instead he surprised her when he grabbed a cup and began rinsing her hair. She tipped her head back and moaned a little as his fingers grazed through her hair with the soap sending little tingles of pleasure against her scalp. He took his time with her hair too, applying wonderful pressure to her scalp with his skilled fingers. She was so into the massage that she didn't even realize she was slowly sinking backwards until his fingers stilled. She opened her eyes and realized that he was staring down at her, frozen in place. Carol blushed and quickly sat back up, casting apologetic stares in his direction.

"Sorry," She mumbled.

He was silent for a few minutes and then he stood up, "Gonna step outside an' smoke. Ya got this?" He asked.

Carol nodded, her knees drawn up to her chest, "Sure. Be careful," She replied.

As soon as she heard the door shut behind him she sighed and began to rinse the soap from her hair. Once she was done she picked up the razor and began the daunting task of making herself look less like a bear and more like a woman.

…..

Daryl stepped outside of the door so fast that he knocked a walker off kilter that happened to have been standing too close to the door. Jerking his knife out of its sheath, he stabbed the offending walker in the head and it fell to the ground with a thud. He wiped the knife off on his pants leg and reached into his pocket for a cigarette. He had cut back on smoking quite a bit, mostly because cigarettes were getting harder and harder to come by. Sometimes he just needed that hit of nicotine though and now was one of those times. Visions of her body were burned into his eyelids and he had a feeling they would be the source of many a long night.

He took a long drag from the cigarette, letting the smoke swirl deeply into his lungs and wondered what the hell he was doing. He should have known better than to touch her and especially while she was sitting in a tub naked. He had known that Carol had scars from Ed, but that was the first time that he had ever seen them. There weren't many and they weren't nearly as bad as the ones that he carried, but they were there and they reminded him of all that she had been through in her life. Her skin had been soft and smooth underneath his hands, the scars pink and rough feeling.

He tried to remember that she was no longer that woman from the quarry, the woman who cowered beneath Ed's glare. She was strong now and she had proven it by being on her own for a whole year. He tried to push away the guilt he had from not being here with her, but it nagged at him. It only served to make him angrier at Rick and anger like that was dangerous. Anger could interfere with your judgment and cause you to make rash decisions that might cost you your life.

And as bad as Daryl wanted Carol, he knew that he couldn't give her what she needed, what she _wanted_. Or at least he thought he couldn't. She would want someone experienced, someone who could give her pleasure and Daryl wasn't sure that he could do that for her. It had taken some time, but he had grown comfortable with their teasing and light flirting over the years. He felt like he could effectively bullshit people into believing that he knew what he was doing, but when it actually came down to doing it he would fail. That's why they needed somewhere bigger because Daryl knew he was dangerously close to not being able to hold back and if he didn't he would likely lose her. And Daryl knew he would much rather have their friendship as it was than not have her at all.

...


	6. Chapter 6

...

"Yer cheatin'," Daryl scoffed as Carol won the third round of Gin they were playing.

Carol chuckled, "I am _not_ Daryl. Don't be such a sourpuss," She teased as she smacked him lightly with a pillow.

"Careful," He growled teasingly. "Ya ass ain't sick an' I ain't got no problems hittin' ya back with that pillow," He said.

She snickered behind her hand. Several locks of hair were sticking straight up in random places over his head. She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun and that was saying something if her idea of playing Gin on an uncomfortable bed was fun. He eyed her out of the corner of his eye and she couldn't help but smile at him. It was only when she turned her head away from him that she was hit by the pillow in the back of the head. Smiling to herself she picked up the other pillow and turned to whack him back with it as she laughed.

"Told ya yer ass was cheatin'!" He cried.

She pursed her lips at him in a pout, "I don't cheat! Maybe _you_ were cheating," She teased him.

His face grew serious and he tossed the pillow back onto the bed, "That shit ain't funny," He muttered.

She frowned as she stared at him, "It was a joke Daryl."

Carol watched as he stood up and began taking off his vest for bed. She tried not to study his arms too much as he twisted and moved around the room, but she couldn't help but to sneak silent peeks. He moved to the other side of the room and grabbed a bottle of water, chugging half of it before silently offering it to her. She grabbed the cards and climbed off of the bed, accepting the water and finishing it off while she watched him over the top of the bottle. He walked over to a small tub that she kept sitting out for hand washing and light cleaning and splashed some water on his face. Something had changed in his attitude but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. As usual he was silent and offered no explanations. Typical Daryl.

"What's going on with you?" She asked softly.

He shrugged and glanced at her as he wiped his face dry, "Nothin'. Ready for bed?"

She nodded once and followed him over to the bed where he moved out of the way and let her crawl in first. He turned the lantern off and slipped in next to her, the darkness engulfing them. She lay on her side, her arm brushing his in the darkness. She wanted to curl against him, but she didn't know what kind of mood he was in so she refrained.

Finally he sighed, "C'mere," He coaxed.

"It's alright Daryl. You don't have to pacify me," Carol muttered.

He rolled onto his side and she could feel his eyes boring into her in the darkness, "Ain't nobody said nothin' 'bout pacifyin' ya or whatever tha hell ya wanna call it. Bring yer ass over here," He said.

She finally scooted closer to him in the bed and he held out his arm for her to lay on. She snuggled into him, but it still didn't feel _right._ He was tense about something and she wished he would just open up to her for once. Swallowing, she propped herself up onto her elbow and leaned over to find his forehead in the darkness where she pressed a kiss to it gently. He didn't respond, but she knew that he was awake and watching her. She lay back down and he tightened his arm around her, his only response to the kiss. Carol shut her eyes and tried to settle her body down for sleep, but honestly she wasn't really sleepy and she didn't know how to fix it. A part of her was scared. Scared that Daryl might get tired of living this life with just the two of them and he might think about leaving. About leaving _her_. He had already talked about maybe finding someplace more permanent, but she kind of liked her little home underground. It felt safe and that was something that had taken a long time for Carol to find. She wasn't quite sure that she was willing to give it up even though she knew that for Daryl she would give up everything.

She would give up everything for moments like these and little kisses to the forehead even though she got nothing in return. That scared her most of all.

…..

Daryl lay quietly with Carol wrapped in his arms, his mind spinning. He knew that she would sense something going on with him, but he wasn't ready to talk about that. He didn't want to talk about _Chloe._ He didn't even think about her, but he had when Carol had brought up the mention of him cheating. Of course she hadn't meant it in that same context, but Daryl's mind had immediately went there. He already felt guilty for it and he knew that if he ever told her she might hate him. He just couldn't be sure so he didn't want to take that chance.

Carol was worth so much more to him than Chloe. Chloe had just been a warm body to fill a cold night. Someone to ward off the demons that plagued his dreams. Someone to fill the void of not having _Carol_. He had to tread carefully where Carol was concerned because she was the reason that he kept going when some days he wasn't sure if there was even a point to life anymore. Carol was _family_ even if it never went any farther than the kiss she had placed upon his forehead.

He wanted to know what the kiss had meant. Carol wasn't one to go around throwing out kisses freely and so he was inclined to think that it had meant something. The only problem was that the kiss had been quick and she hadn't lingered to give him any ideas that she might want more. Women were complicated creatures and Daryl didn't pretend that he could even begin to understand them. He began to sweat under the covers and he knew it was partially because he couldn't get his brain to shut down so that he could sleep. His brain waged a battle within him over whether or not he should just spit it out until he growled and slipped his arm from underneath her to sit up.

"Daryl, what's wrong?" Carol said instantly.

He leaned back against the wall and stared into the darkness, "I have somethin' I gotta tell ya an' I don't want'cha ta take it tha wrong way," He said softly.

She touched his hand, hers small and cool compared to his. He wanted to grab it, to hang on to her and ensure that she wouldn't bolt from him. Even though they weren't technically a c _ouple_ , as far as he knew, neither of them had been with anyone else since they had met. He felt like it would be kind of a big deal. He wiped the sweat off of his brow. Now he had worked himself up over this whole thing and he needed a smoke badly to calm his nerves.

"It's okay," Carol encouraged. "Whatever it is. You can tell me."

He clenched his jaw, "This past year was hard. Ya know that," He began. She rubbed her fingers over his hand to encourage him. "I saved this girl from bein' eaten an' she followed me 'round for a couple months 'fore she got killed."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Carol said quietly. "Was she special to you?"

Daryl sucked in a breath, "No!" He shook his head. "I mean, yeah. Hell, I ain't wanted 'er ta die!"

Carol was quiet for several moments and he felt like his heart would beat out of his chest while he waited.

" _Oh_ ," She said.

 _Oh? All she could say was oh?_ Daryl was getting frustrated and his body was burning up. It felt like a furnace in the room that was suddenly way too small. She pulled her hand away and he felt the rejection like a slap in the face. A part of him craved it. He wanted to be punished for it so that he wouldn't have to feel this guilt anymore. He knew he had done wrong, but he had still let it continue regardless.

"I see. You and her were a thing then? You…you made love?" She whispered.

He felt like she had just ripped his heart from his throat. He stood up swiftly, "No! It weren't like that!" He paced beside the bed as she reached over to turn on the lantern, illuminating the tiny space.

"What _was_ it like?" Carol asked calmly.

"I…" Daryl growled and pulled at his hair. "She weren't nothin'. She weren't…. _you_." He paused and sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes feeling red and raw. Carol stared at him with watery eyes and it cut his heart into tiny pieces. He stared her straight in the eyes, "Every time. I only thought about _you_. Every fuckin' night ya were in my dreams! Ya haunted me! I thought ya were dead an'…" He sucked in a deep breath, his oxygen feeling in short supply. "It ripped my fuckin' heart out Carol," He stood up again, his chest aching.

She stood up too, her eyes streaming tears, "I don't understand," She said softly. "So you…you made love with a woman and you thought about me?" She asked.

Daryl snorted and wanted to shake something. The space was closing in on him as his frustrations increased in intensity, "I didn't make _love_ ta her! It was jus' sex! She knew I didn't see 'er like that! Ya wanna know whose name I called out at night?" She cringed slightly as the tears continued to pour, but there was no stopping it now. He needed to get this off of his chest in order to move on. He couldn't have this lie between them. It was eating at him. If they had a chance at something, then he wanted to be honest and not based on a lie. "I called out yer name! Every night! I saw yer face an' I felt ya but ya weren't there! Ya weren't there!" He yelled again and slammed his feet into his boots.

She wiped at her free falling tears and grabbed his arm causing him to tense. He continued to stuff his feet into his boots though.

"Daryl. Wait. Where are you going?" She sniffed.

"I gotta get some air," He muttered as he stood up. He removed her hand from his arm gently, never wanting to hurt her no matter how worked up he got. He stalked towards the door, shouldering his crossbow and picking up a flashlight as he went.

She ran over behind him and stopped just before touching him. He paused, his back still to her. He knew what she wanted and he felt like a bastard for making her question it.

"I'm comin' back," He said quietly.

She was quiet behind him, but he didn't wait for a response before walking out of the door and reaching to switch on the flashlight, covering it with his hand so that he could get a feel for the area before he headed into the woods. He couldn't stay in that room with her after admitting all that he had. He needed time to process all that his mind had spilt forth. A good long walk through the woods would help that. The icy chill in the air did little to scare him away as he walked and in fact, his body welcomed the cool air. The darkness forced him to be more alert and that took his mind off of the fact that he had just admitted how deeply he cared for Carol. Now he had left her and he didn't even know what her response was.

...


	7. Chapter 7

_**...** _

Carol's mind was spinning now that she had finally gotten her tears under control. Her brain was frantically trying to piece together everything that had just occurred. More or less, Daryl had just confessed something extremely profound and she had to sit down on the bunk to work through it in her head. Had he really just confessed to wanting something more with her? She could barely form a single coherent thought because her brain was trying to run in twenty different directions at once. Daryl had thought about her while having sex with another woman. He had imagined her face. She was shocked to say the least. She had no idea that he had felt that way. At all.

She wasn't sure how she felt about this other woman. She very well couldn't be mad at him. It wasn't like they had had any claim over each other as far as relationships went. He had thought she was dead he had said. She thought back to her time to herself over the past year. The thought of Daryl being dead had never once crossed her mind. It just didn't seem possible. If anyone could survive this mess then Carol knew that it was Daryl. She had always assumed that he would find her one day and then they had literally ran into each other when she had least expected it. She wondered if the others were still at the prison or if they might run into them one day.

Her thoughts drifted to the woman again and she wondered what she had been like. If she had been a good person or if she had looked like Carol. The thought of Daryl being with someone else made her sad, but it was done and he had coped in the best way that he knew how. She was just sorry that they hadn't found each other sooner. Maybe they could have been past this point by now and at a very different stage in their relationship. She wasn't even sure where this admission put them at now. Were they together? Did he want more or was it just something he had wanted to get off of his chest? She had no idea what to expect when he got back. She curled up in the blankets, inhaling his scent and settled down to wait. There was only one thing she did know for sure, when Daryl got back she had some things of her own to tell him.

…..

Daryl stuck his knife through the skull of a walker and leaned against one of the tall oaks surrounding him, trying to string together his thoughts. He felt slightly numb and he was certain that it wasn't from the cold. He hadn't felt such an overwhelming feeling of emotion since Merle had died and it was very draining. He stood up straight and dug into his pocket for another cigarette to smoke. He had almost smoked through every last cigarette that he had while out here. The worst part of it all was that he hadn't even encountered many walkers and he figured that it was due in part to the cold. He was sure that if this had been an ordinary day he might have been cold, but such as it was, the cold hadn't affected him yet. He took a draw from his cigarette and headed back in the direction that he had come. It was time to head back and face Carol. He wasn't as young as he used to be and pulling an all-nighter wasn't as easy as it had once been.

When he finally made it back and inside he was surprised to find her sleeping soundly propped up in the bed. He stood there for several moments just watching her chest rise and fall as she breathed in and out. He swallowed over a lump in his throat at how puffy her eyes looked lying there and he felt guilty to think that he had been the cause of that puffiness. Sitting down on the other bunk, he tugged off his boots and after careful consideration pulled off his damp pants as well. Daryl was starting to feel the cold seep into his bones now and he longed to jump under the covers with Carol and pull her close. The only problem was things were different now and he didn't know if he would be welcomed. Nor did he really want to wake her to find out. He sat down on the edge of the other bed for a few minutes, contemplating his options. The thought of sleeping in the other bunk didn't appeal to him at all. He had become accustomed to sleeping with her wrapped around him.

"Just come on already," Carol's voice, thick and laced with sleep called to him.

His head snapped up and their eyes met, his wide and slightly surprised and hers halfway open and looking at him. "Didn't mean ta wake ya up," He commented.

She fought off a yawn and scooted over in invitation, "You didn't. At least I don't think you did. I'm not sure what woke me up," She admitted. She glanced down to his bare legs and Daryl followed her gaze, suddenly remembering he had taken his pants off.

"I, uh, can put 'em back on if ya want. They was kinda damp," Daryl offered.

Carol shook her head, "No, it's okay," She was quiet for several moments as her fingers fidgeted with the blanket. She glanced over at him as he lifted the blanket, "Might want to take off that shirt too."

Daryl paused, considering this. If he took off his shirt that would leave him in just a pair of boxers and nothing else. That wasn't a lot of material separating the two of them and he wasn't sure he would be able to sleep if he had a raging erection all night. He made the mistake of meeting her gaze though and in her eyes he didn't see any anger at him, only an odd sense of peace.

"Carol, I-"

"Don't," She interrupted. "We'll talk about this tomorrow when we're both more alert. Right now I just want to sleep and I could really use my heater," She said.

Daryl shook his head with a sigh and gave her a small smile before finally sliding underneath the blankets. He lifted his arm and she immediately scooted closer to him, wrapping her arm and legs around his. It occurred to him then, how _right_ this all seemed. His body immediately relaxed with her wrapped around it and knowing that she wasn't pissed at him for his confession brought him a comforting sense of contentment. She tangled her fingers into the small patch of hair that grew on his chest and twirled the short hairs around her finger, playing with it. He watched her with bated breath.

"Daryl?" She whispered.

"Hm?" He grunted.

"Did you mean what you said earlier about seeing my face when you were with that other woman?"

Daryl shifted somewhat uncomfortably, "Thought we wasn't gonna talk 'bout this 'til mornin'?"

Carol let out a deep breath, "I know. I just…I just want to know," She replied softly.

"Yeah. I meant it. Meant everythin' I said."

She was quiet for several minutes and he slowly relaxed again, hoping that maybe that would satisfy her for now and they could both get some sleep. He felt like he was going to need all the rest he could get for tomorrow when he couldn't hide his emotions as well in the light of the day. Then she shifted and propped herself up on her elbow and Daryl knew they weren't getting any sleep. She stared at him and he stared back at her for a few minutes.

Finally she spoke, "I want to kiss you," She said.

Daryl's eyes widened. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting from her, but that definitely hadn't been it. "Why?" He asked without thinking.

Carol chuckled softly, "Are you really going to question it?"

Daryl thought about that for a few minutes and then shrugged, "Guess not. Jus' didn't figure on ya wantin' ta…ta kiss me," He finished.

A small smile played on her lips and she shifted closer to him. He felt her breasts through her t-shirt glide across his chest and he held in a groan as she slowly brought her lips to his. He closed his eyes at the first contact and savored the taste of her lips on his. She moved softly at first and he let her lead, taking cues from her on where she wanted to take this kiss. When she snaked her tongue into his mouth he groaned and slid his to brush against hers softly. His arm bent around her and without a second thought he tugged her closer to him as if she might disappear if he didn't hold onto her. Kissing her was so much better in real life than it had been in his dreams and they both drew a deep breath upon pulling away.

"How was that?" Carol asked shakily.

Daryl smirked, "Much bettter'n real life than in my dreams," He admitted. "How was it for you?"

She chuckled and instead of responding she pressed her lips to his once more for a much quicker kiss. When she pulled away she rested her head on his chest and he ran his fingers up and down her arm lightly. She hummed in pleasure and let out a contented sigh.

"I don't blame you, you know," She said.

Daryl chuckled, "Shoulda known ya wouldn't be able ta hold out 'til tomorrow," He sucked in a deep breath and paused before continuing. "I ain't meant ta hurt ya."

Carol nodded, "I know. You would never hurt me Daryl. You're not that kind of person," She said.

Daryl scoffed, "Quit makin' me out ta be some kinda saint. I got flaws jus' like everyone else."

She shook her head against his chest, "It doesn't matter. When you care for someone you overlook those flaws. In your eyes, they're perfect."

Daryl stared out into the darkness, mulling over her words. He hadn't ever thought about it in that way, but he wasn't entirely sure that he was comfortable with anyone putting that much faith into him. He hadn't ever had anyone believe in him like that before. In his experience, when you put all your trust into someone you were bound to get disappointed. So it was better for everyone involved if you didn't open yourself up to that kind of disappointment. People were flawed, there was no way around that. There would always be disappointment in life, Daryl knew that, but it didn't mean that he had to make himself vulnerable to it.

Then there was Carol and somehow she just didn't fit into that equation. She pushed past his defenses, but she wasn't pushy about it at all. She just simply seemed to care for him and put her faith in him without question. When he had first met her, he had thought her weak and that had made him angry with her. He had constantly pushed her away, trying to get a rise out of her. There had always been something about her, even then. Daryl had wanted to make her angry, to make her come alive and fight for her life even if she no longer had her daughter. The thought of Sophia saddened him, but he no longer felt guilty for not finding her. He had done the best that he could at the time and he accepted that now.

"What are you thinking about?" She whispered.

"Jus' thinkin' back ta tha quarry an' how we all changed," He said. He wouldn't mention Sophia outright. There was no need to remind her of her loss when he was sure that there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't at least think of Sophia in some way.

She frowned at him, "That's some pretty deep thinking."

He snorted, "Well yer ass started it. Was over here tryin' ta get some sleep 'til ya started wantin' ta talk," He teased her.

She smacked him playfully on the chest, "You don't have to listen to me you know. There's another bed over there too if this one's too crowded," She offered.

He chuckled and pressed her head back down to his chest, "Sleep woman. We'll hash all this shit out tomorrow when we ain't got nothin' better ta do."

Carol yawned, "Goodnight Daryl," She murmured.

"Night," He responded. He was quiet for a few moments, his brain still stimulated and running back and forth over their previous conversations. He shifted as he tried to settle his body down for sleep, but something was gnawing at him.

"Alright. Spit it out," Carol said softly.

He sighed, "How was it?" He repeated.

Carol's response was to reach over and smack him with the pillow, "How was _that_? Now get some sleep," She snickered at him and he could only hope that it meant that she had enjoyed that kiss just as much as he had.

__


	8. Chapter 8

...

Several days passed before the inclement weather let up and Carol could tell that they were both getting cabin fever. Daryl's mood was sliding slowly downhill as the hours ticked slowly by. There was only so many card games and so many books that they could read to pass the time. So when they woke up one morning and it wasn't raining or icy out, Carol decided they both needed to get out. She grabbed her bowl of oatmeal and sat down with her legs crossed on the bed next to Daryl to eat. There hadn't been any more kissing between them, but Carol could feel an underlying sexual tension in the air sometimes. She didn't know if she was supposed to wait for his cue to make the first move or if it was supposed to be her so she just left it alone and figured that it would happen when it was time. She was perfectly happy just to be with him as is. Kissing would just be an added bonus.

Daryl sighed as he shoveled another bite of oatmeal into his mouth, "I hate fuckin' oatmeal," He muttered sourly.

Carol glanced at him and then down at her own sad bowl of oatmeal. They had all eaten more than their fair share of oatmeal and she too would be glad if she never saw another bite. Unfortunately though, sometimes oatmeal was all they had available to them and it was quick and easy to make. Carol bumped his shoulder with her own, "Aren't you in a good mood today," She commented.

He took one last bite of oatmeal and set the bowl down, "We need ta discuss findin' another place."

Carol paused in between bites and slowly swirled her spoon around in the bowl, making a mound of oatmeal in the center. She cleared her throat, "I kind of like it here," She replied.

He turned to look at her, "This is a tomb Carol," He said.

She dropped her spoon in her bowl, giving up on eating anymore. She wasn't really that hungry and the oatmeal wasn't doing anything for her anyway. "It's not a tomb," She replied defensively. "This has been my home for several months now. I feel safe here."

Daryl hunched his shoulders and she could see the tension slowly filling his body. He stood up and grabbed both of their bowls and placed them on the counter in their makeshift kitchen area. He walked back over to the bed and stopped in front of her holding out his hand.

"C'mere," He said.

Carol glanced up at him curiously, "What?"

He rolled his eyes and snorted, "Dammit woman. Just c'mere," He said. Carol stood and he placed his hands on her arms, staring into her face. "I'm here now and I ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya. Don't ya get that?"

Carol swallowed. Hearing him say things like that really made her heart flop inside of her chest. "But what if you leave?" She whispered fearfully.

She was terrified that one day she would wake up and he would be gone, leaving behind nothing more than a note of some sort. She knew that Daryl wasn't the type to just settle in one place. He liked to be on the move as evidenced by his anxiousness to get outdoors. Carol didn't mind the outdoors either, but in here she could pretend that the walkers didn't exist and that she and Daryl were their own little family. She was stronger, that much was true, but that didn't mean that she wasn't tired of running from the terrors that plagued the earth.

"Dammit woman! I ain't gon' leave ya! Why can't ya jus' see that?" Daryl raised his voice slightly and stepped away from her.

Carol bit back the hurt at his tone and ran her fingers through her hair. She grabbed her jacket, gloves, and knife to get ready to go out. Daryl was pretty much ready to go, but then again the man had never been more than a breath away from ready as long as she had known him.

"Coming? We'll go scavenge some houses," She offered.

He nodded, but chose not to speak and together they exited their little hole and entered the harshly cold air of the outside. Carol hadn't realized just how warm it was inside of there little shelter until she walked outside. She shivered beneath her clothing as the cold air seeped into her bones. Daryl took out a slow moving walker with a knife to the head before they headed on to the truck he had parked a couple of houses away. They walked in silence, neither of them really having much to say at the moment. Daryl started the truck and let it idle to warm up while he stood outside of it and smoked. Carol rubbed her gloved hands together and thought about where they would go if they left. She wondered if the others were still at the prison and who was still alive. It had been a year and they could all be anywhere by now. She hoped that for their sake they were all safe. Not a day went by that she didn't think of them in some way. They had been her family, the only family that she had for so long and it was hard being away from them. She watched Daryl blow out a cloud of smoke and wondered if he thought about them as well. He never brought them up and if she did he was always nonchalant about it and quickly changed the subject to something else.

She hated that this whole thing had caused a rift between him and Rick. She knew how much Daryl had looked to Rick for advice and how Rick had done the same for Daryl. Rick had been the brother that Merle had never gotten the chance to be for him. It saddened her to think of how they both had lost their family. Maybe she would suggest to him that they head towards the prison just to see if the others were still there. Maybe things would be different since so much time had passed. Surely they didn't all hate her.

 _Did_ _they?_

...

Daryl drove down the cluttered roads, keeping a constant eye out for anything that seemed amiss. Several times they stopped and checked cars for gasoline to fill the containers he had stored on the bed of the truck. Carol was being oddly quiet and Daryl wasn't sure how to take that. He didn't know why she was so attached to the damn place that felt like a tomb to him, but for some reason she seemed reluctant to let it go. He felt like she should know by now that he would keep her safe and wouldn't ever let anything happen to her, but he couldn't see himself staying there. He needed to be where he could keep an eye out in case of danger. Buried inside of that place didn't afford them any windows to see out and therefore they would never have a warning of approaching danger. For all Daryl knew the Governor could still be out there somewhere but he hoped the sorry bastard was dead.

"Maybe we should swing by the prison?" Carol suggested softly.

He cut his eyes over to her and saw that she was looking out of the window, "The prison? What'cha wanna go there for?" He asked.

She sighed and turned to stare at him, "Those people were our family Daryl. Don't you want to know if they're alive?"

Daryl shrugged. He did miss the people from the prison, or at least he missed _most_ of them. He tightened his hands on the steering wheel as he thought about Rick. The betrayal cut him deeply every time he thought about it and whenever he thought about the prison he thought about Rick. Therefore, he tried not to think about the prison at all. It only served to make his blood pressure rise. Carol was staring at him and he realized that she expected him to answer.

"He left ya for dead," He commented gruffly, knowing that she would know who he was referring to.

"He left me with supplies. A car, food, and fuel," She commented.

Daryl slapped his hand against the steering wheel, his fury coming out. He swerved the truck over to the side of the road, "That's bullshit an' ya know it! He didn't wait on tha council before making tha decision! He's been too busy playin' farmer in tha dell an' then he jus' takes it upon himself ta make this decision for tha _group_?" Daryl shouted.

Carol stared back at him sadly, "I know you're mad, but I've had a lot of time to think about it. What I did was wrong an-"

"Ya coulda _died_!" Daryl raged, cutting her off midsentence.

His hands shook at his admission and the thoughts he used to have of her lying dead somewhere flooded back to him. Everything that he had kept bottled up over the past year was boiling over the edge and he was helpless to stop it. He needed to rid himself of all of these emotions regardless if it was the right time or place for it. The anger was festering inside of him like an infection.

Carol placed her hand upon his softly, "But I didn't," She whispered.

Daryl shook his head, "He don't know that. For all he knows, ya is dead. He knew how much ya meant ta me an' he fuckin' left ya behind," His voice had dropped to a low and deadly tone now. "I woulda kept Tyreese from comin' after ya. We coulda worked this shit out. He did tha same shit ta Merle an' tried ta give up Michonne ta tha Governor too. An' he calls himself a _leader_?" Daryl scoffed and stared off into the distance.

Carol shifted closer to him in the truck, "We won't go if you don't want to."

Daryl growled in frustration deep down in his throat, "We'll fuckin' go, but I ain't goin' in those gates," He muttered.

"That's fine. We'll stand and look from a distance. They never even have to know that we're there. I just want to see the girls, Glenn, Maggie, and Judith. I miss them so much," She said as her breath hitched.

Daryl lifted his arm and drew her close, "I'm sorry I'm such an asshole," He mumbled. He wouldn't be able to stand it if she cried.

Carol smiled softly at him, "It's okay. I have a lot of experience in dealing with assholes," She replied.

Daryl snorted and reached up with his hand to brush a lock of her hair from her face. Her hair was getting longer as was his, but hers looked a lot better than his, he was sure of it. He became aware of how close they were as she stared at him and their breaths fogged up the windows of the truck. He slid his hand behind her neck slowly, giving her time to refuse him. She closed her eyes and he took that as his cue to keep going so he leaned forward to press his lips to hers. She was so warm and soft, like nothing he had ever tasted. Even though it wasn't their first kiss, he still felt the flutter deep in his belly at her touch. She shifted forward and he instinctively drew her in closer to his body, to his warmth. She came willingly, her tongue teasing the outline of his lips before he opened his mouth to her, allowing her entrance. Their tongues danced around each other and Daryl's breathing grew harder as his body responded to her, _only_ to her. When she finally pulled back, the windows were completely fogged and Daryl had to swipe at them with the sleeve of his jacket to see out.

She chuckled, "I feel like a couple of teenagers going parking just to make out somewhere," She muttered.

Daryl smiled, "Been a long fuckin' time since I was a teen. Reckon' ain't much changed, jus' my bones pop a lot more now than they did." He commented.

She bumped his shoulder with her hand, "You're probably more hard headed too," She teased.

He nodded and then shifted the truck into gear to pull back onto the road. "So...the prison?" He asked.

"If you don't want to then we can find something else to do."

Daryl chewed at the skin around his thumb while keeping one hand on the wheel, "If it's what ya wanna do then I'll do it for you."

She was quiet for several moments, staring out of the window and then she nodded, "Okay."

Daryl just hoped they weren't making a mistake by going there. He didn't know what they could expect after a year's time had passed or even if their people would be there. For all he knew they could drive up and find them all dead. He wasn't sure if Carol could handle that or even himself for that matter. Then there was the matter of Rick who had _once_ meant something to Daryl, but no more. Everything that they had built, the friendship that they had made, meant nothing to Daryl anymore. Rick was already dead to him.


	9. Chapter 9

...

As soon as they pulled up to the prison, Carol knew that they wouldn't be finding the others there. The fences were nearly destroyed; some of them still barely standing while others were a complete and mangled mess. A portion of one of the buildings looked as though a bomb had exploded off of it, scattering bits and chunks of brick all over the ground. Daryl stopped the truck just outside of the gates like he had said and they both climbed out, staring out over the yard that had once been free of debris and that was now covered in rotted corpses, trash, and various objects. She exchanged a glance with Daryl, feeling her heart sink slightly. It was clear that there was no one from their group here. It wasn't clear though what exactly had happened or if anyone remained alive. The corpses weren't fresh so whatever had happened had taken place quite some time ago.

Carol knew that the chances were slim of finding the others still around with it having been a year since they had been here. A year was literally a lifetime these days and she couldn't blame them for moving on if that had indeed been what they had done. She bit her lip and climbed back into the truck without another word. Daryl looked at her and then slid into the driver's seat, not yet pulling away. She knew that he was looking at her, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything at the moment. Her heart hurt the pain stinging as she thought about the people that she had cared about, _gone_.

"I know it hurts," Daryl said softly.

Carol nodded, swallowing down her sorrow for the moment. She could feel the anger beginning to course through her veins and her hands shook slightly from her efforts not to let it overwhelm her. She had tried so hard to fight back the anger and she had even convinced herself over time that she had forgiven Rick for sending her away. She told herself that it was for the best that she might have even done the same thing having been in his shoes. But looking at the desolate prison sitting before them she felt that anger returning full force. Rick had never given her a chance to say goodbye to any of them.

"It fucking hurts so bad Daryl," She spit out, startling him with her use of foul language.

He placed one of his weathered hands on the back of her neck and massaged it gently. "Let it out," He coaxed.

She took a shuddering breath as she tried not to lose control. Out of the corner of her eye, Carol caught sight of a walker ambling slowly along by the fences and she exited the truck before Daryl could guess her intentions. Pulling her knife she rushed the walker and slammed it to the ground with her body's momentum. She rammed her knife through the walker's head and continued to stab at it, taking out her rage on the undead. She growled low in her throat as she stabbed it, releasing her anger through her motions.

"He didn't give me a chance! He sent me away without me even getting to tell anyone goodbye!" She yelled. "All those times I took care of everyone and one time…. _one TIME_ I take it upon myself to step up and take care of the situation and I get banished! Why?"

Then the tears came trailing down her cheeks, hot and trickling as she sobbed for those she had loved. Finally Daryl's strong arms wound around her waist and he tugged her backwards onto his lap, wrapping his hand around hers that still clung to her knife.

"Gimme tha knife Carol," He whispered near her ear.

She blankly released the knife, collapsing onto his lap and clinging to his leather jacket blindly. He grabbed a rag from his pocket and swiped at her face and hands. It was only as she stared at the once white rag that was now tinged a dark rusty red that she realized she was covered in blood. Daryl held her tightly and let her cry, let her get it all off of her chest. It was the first time that she had allowed herself to completely break down, trusting someone else to keep an eye out for threats. She wasn't aware of how long they sat there, but Daryl finally tugged on her hand.

"Come on. Ain't safe ta stick 'round here much longer," He commented. "There ain't nothin' here no more."

Carol let herself be pulled along towards the truck, casting one last glance towards the place that had been home for so long and the family that no longer inhabited the inside of those walls. As Daryl pulled the truck away she leaned her head back on the seat, her eyes falling on the side mirrors where the reflection of the prison stared back at her, now only a distant memory from her past.

…..

"Here. Made some soup. Eat up. Ya lookin' kinda pale," Daryl thrust a bowl under her nose.

Carol accepted the soup and stared down at it. She really wasn't hungry, but she took a small spoonful because Daryl had taken the time to warm it up. He sat down next to her and slurped at his own soup.

Carol sighed, "I'm sorry," She said.

Daryl paused as he chewed and then glanced at her in confusion, "What tha hell for?"

Carol shrugged, "For freaking out on you earlier, for not acting grateful that you're here, and for asking you to take me back there. It was wrong and I shouldn't have asked that of you." Daryl had been nothing but good to her since they had found each other and she realized that she hadn't been as appreciative of him as she should have been.

Daryl raised an eyebrow at her and swallowed a mouthful of soup, "Ya know by now that I don't do nothin' I ain't wantin' ta do. I did that shit for you. Not too many people I do shit like that for anymore," He commented.

Carol nodded, "I know. Thank you for that. I was trying really hard not to be angry, to try and see Rick's side of things, but the dam broke earlier and I lost control." She took another bite of soup and set her bowl to the side, her stomach turned off by the sight of food.

Daryl tipped his bowl back and drank the rest of his soup from the bowl, making a slight slurping sound as he did so. He blushed when she looked in his direction, "Sorry," He muttered.

"I can't believe you can eat that as if you like it," She said.

He chuckled, "Don't give myself time ta taste it. Figured I'd eat more that way," He replied.

Carol smiled and lay back onto the bed, "So what now?" She asked.

Daryl glanced at her as he sat his bowl down, "Whatcha mean? Thought ya wanted ta stay here?"

"You said you think it's best if we leave," She replied simply. If he left, she would follow him wherever he went. She didn't want to be without him and now that they had finally had some sort of breakthrough between them she wanted to stay together and see where it took them. If that meant leaving, then so be it.

"I jus' think it might be better ta find someplace bigger," He looked around the room. "Maybe somewhere with windows?" He suggested.

Carol rolled her eyes, "Daryl Dixon, are you making fun of my dwelling?" She asked.

"Well if tha shoe fits," He shrugged and looked at her with a teasing glint in his eye.

She snorted, grateful to him for lightening the mood, "So I guess we can go out tomorrow to scout for a place?" She asked.

Daryl nodded, "If tha weather holds, figure we can make a day of it."

He leaned back on the bed on his elbow, both of them facing each other. It was oddly intimate yet comforting at the same time. Carol picked at some lint on the blankets with her fingers. "So..." She began.

Daryl raised his eyebrows, "So what?" He asked.

"Are we gonna talk about us? About the kiss?" She asked quietly.

Daryl looked at her and then down at the blanket. He scratched his head, "What we s'posed ta say 'bout it?" He asked her.

Carol shrugged, "I don't know. I mean are we exploring this thing further or what's going on here?"

"Ya wantin' ta explore it further?" He lay down flat on the bed, staring up at the ceiling above them.

"I'm game if you are," Carol grinned wickedly.

"Well I reckon' it'll give us somethin' ta do ta pass tha time," Daryl admitted.

Carol gaped at him and he chuckled, casting her a teasing grin. She swiped at him with her hand playfully and he grabbed her wrist, rolling her underneath his body. "Daryl?" She questioned breathlessly.

"Reckon' it'll do more 'an pass tha time," He muttered as he stared down at her.

She parted her lips slightly and he crushed his to hers, his tongue immediately drifting into her mouth to intertwine with hers. Her arms were pinned to the bed by his body weight so all that she could do was kiss him back. His mouth was warm and tasted faintly of the soup that they had just eaten, but she didn't care. He was Daryl and she would never refuse him. Finally he pulled away from her lips and they both panted heavily. She could feel something prodding against her leg, but she didn't dare point it out in case it embarrassed him.

"Are you okay?" She asked as he closed his eyes.

He nodded, his jaw clenched tightly, "Jus' need a minute," He responded heavily.

Carol wiggled one of her arms free from underneath him and brushed her fingers over his cheek lovingly. He opened his eyes and stared at her, "Ya ain't helpin' none," He muttered dryly.

She smiled briefly before her expression turned serious again, "Maybe that's my intention," She said.

He groaned and pressed his face down into the curve of her neck, his breath hot on her already warm skin. He didn't move for a few moments and Carol wondered for a minute if he hadn't fallen asleep. She was getting ready to shake him because several parts of her body were going numb when he lifted his head finally. He rolled off of her and let out a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Ya can't be sayin' things like that," He said.

"Why not? We're adults. There's a physical attraction between us. I can feel it and you can't deny it Daryl," Carol told him.

Daryl sighed, "What if we take this all tha way an' one of us has regrets in tha mornin'? What if it changes things?"

Carol frowned, "What's it going to change? I know I'm not going to have any regrets. It doesn't have to be complicated unless we make it that way."

Daryl lay there for a few moments, one arm thrown across his eyes, his chest rising and falling softly. "I might not be what'cha want," He finally said.

Carol rolled over to him, pushing his arm from his eyes so that she could see him, "Daryl, you're everything that I want. You always have been. I've just kept my feelings to myself for so long and now that we've found each other again I feel like it's fates way of trying to push us together. I don't want to skirt around those feelings anymore. Life is too short for that. I was blatantly reminded of that today," She explained as a vision of the prison drifted into her mind.

"Ya really mean all that?" He asked gruffly.

Carol nodded, "I don't say things I don't mean," She teased gently.

He quirked his lips up at her, "Well what tha hell are we waitin' on then?"

...


	10. Chapter 10

...

Carol hadn't expected Daryl to agree so suddenly and when his lips crashed against hers again, she moaned into his mouth a little. He was halfway lying on her, but he was using one of his arms to brace himself so that he wouldn't crush her with his weight again. She absentmindedly ran her hand up that arm, marveling at the way his muscles tightened and flexed beneath her fingers. He had definitely bulked up since the prison, but she wasn't complaining a bit. It was finally happening. They were going to have sex and Carol was as nervous as if it were her first time. She tried to focus on his kisses when he pulled back suddenly.

"I knew it. Knew we shouldn'ta started this. Ya ain't even kissin' me back. I fucked it up, didn't I?" He asked.

Carol grabbed onto his shirt refusing to let him pull away, "No, that's not it! I..." She blushed, not wanting to say that she had gotten distracted. "I'm just kind of in shock that we're actually going to do this," She admitted.

Daryl's features relaxed somewhat at her admittance, "Ya ain't changin' ya mind then?" He asked suspiciously.

Carol smiled at him, "No! Absolutely not!" She pushed herself up onto her elbows and pressed her lips to his, silencing anymore verbal communication between them.

It took him a second and then he began to respond to her, sinking them slowly back onto the bed. His fingers skimmed under the edge of her shirt and she gasped at the coldness against her belly. He mumbled an apology as his lips left hers and he dipped his head to replace the cold with his warm mouth. It was just an an innocent kiss to her belly, but Carol found herself incredibly turned on by it. She felt him smile as he moved his lips higher. Her breath hitched when he kissed right below her bra.

"Ya like that, huh?" He asked.

Carol nodded. She was afraid that if she spoke her voice might come out all squeaky so she was opting for head motions instead. He grasped the bottom of her shirt and lifted it up and over her head with her help. His eyes widened at the sight of her black lacy bra that left little to the imagination. She had grabbed it on a whim, having hit a small clothing boutique one afternoon for more jeans to replace the ones that were worn and tearing. The bra had made her feel sexy and womanly, something that didn't come easily in a zombie apocalypse. And now, seeing Daryl's reaction to it, she was glad that she had grabbed it up.

"God Carol," He muttered as he pressed his face into the swell between her breasts. "Yer gonna fuckin' kill me."

Carol smiled, feeling every bit sexy and desirable, "So you like it?" She whispered.

Daryl gave her a crazy look in return, "Yeah I like it," His face reddened slightly as he continued to stare at it.

He shook his head slowly, his hands trailing down her smooth skin to where her jeans were buttoned just below her navel. He pressed a kiss there, making her shiver a little before he worked at unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans. He slid them off slowly and his face reminded Carol of someone opening a present on Christmas morning. He took his time looking at her almost as if he was scared that she might disappear or that he might not ever get another look at her again. Carol leaned up and tugged gently on his shirt to let him know that she wanted it off. He complied, slipping the dirty and sleeveless material over his head swiftly. She took in the sight of his chest, naked and hard with a light smattering of hair around his navel. She sat up and placed her hands on his hips before pressing a kiss to his navel much as he had done to hers while he stood next to the bed. She could feel his stomach sink inwards as he inhaled deeply at her action and she grinned up at him wickedly. He threaded his fingers into her hair, massaging her scalp lightly and making her eyes flutter closed on a moan.

"So ya like that?" He whispered, throwing her earlier question back at her.

She smiled, "Yeah I like it," She said in response.

He gave her his signature crooked grin and cupped her face, drawing her in closely for another kiss. His chest brushed hers through the material of her bra and she panted as her nipples hardened. Daryl moved his arms down around her waist, coming together behind her back and fidgeting with the clasps of her bra while his tongue chased after hers. She made a noise deep in her throat when he removed the lacy material and her breasts were exposed to the cold air. She could feel the chill bumps breaking out all over her skin. His chest occasionally brushed against one pert nipple and she subconsciously leaned forward, her body craving more. Daryl broke the kiss, gasping for air while releasing a groan of his own.

"You can touch them you know," Carol whispered heatedly.

Daryl shushed her as he moved to her neck and suckled her skin between his warm lips. He gradually made his way down her body, pausing as he encountered her naked breasts. He cupped them in the palms of his hands, testing their weight. He strummed his thumbs over both of her nipples and Carol cried out loudly as pleasure shot through her body. Her fingers grabbed for his jeans, no longer caring for this slow tease he had going on. She needed him and she needed him now. It was driving her crazy with how badly she wanted this.

He stared at her in disbelief as she pushed and yanked at his clothing until he was naked in front of her. She took a moment to drink in the sight that was Daryl Dixon. She began at his chest and trailed slowly down past the sprinkling of hair to his hips and then further to between his legs where she could see that he was clearly aroused. Heat flamed her cheeks like a school girl and she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He shifted beneath her stare, catching her eye.

"I feel like I'm bein' graded," He admitted.

She raked her eyes down his body and then back up to his, "Congratulations. You get an A," She grinned.

He gaped at her for a moment and then he grinned back before pushing her back down to the bed. He closed his mouth over one of her nipples, flicking his tongue over it. Carol jerked beneath him, her hips gyrating upwards into his. She reached between them and wrapped her hand around his thick member.

He sucked a breath between his teeth, "Carol," He bit out.

She ignored him and tugged gently until he pushed his hips forward, sliding his length inside of her. They both held themselves rigid as they adjusted to the feeling of each other. His eyes searched hers questioningly, "Ya alright?" He asked softly.

Carol nodded and pulled his head down for a kiss, effectively shushing him. She ran her hands over his chest as he began to slowly move. It took them a minute, but Carol lifted her legs, hooking them around his waist before they finally began a steady rhythm. Their breaths tangled together as they moved against each other. Suddenly Daryl tensed above her and then she felt him thrusting through his orgasm. She watched as a myriad of emotions crossed his face before he pulled out and rolled off of her. He threw an arm across his eyes and Carol took a second to wrap her mind around what had just occurred. She hadn't had an orgasm and really they had just begun getting into it good, or so she had thought. She didn't say anything though and she waited to see what he would do.

Finally he sighed loudly, "I fuckin' ruined it," He said.

Carol rolled over and pulled his arm away from his eyes so that she could see him, but he avoided her gaze. Narrowing her eyes, she grabbed his head and turned it so that he had no choice but to look at her or close his eyes. "You didn't ruin it Daryl. It was perfect," She said.

He snorted, "Ain't barely got goin' good. Didn't even use no damn condoms! What tha hell was I thinkin'?" He said in frustration.

Carol smiled at him gently, "Well condoms weren't necessary anyway. I can't have any more kids. I had my tubes tied after Sophia. I didn't want another child to have to go through that," She admitted.

Daryl swore under his breath, "God Carol, I'm so sorry. Let me make it up to ya," He coaxed.

He rolled her over so that he was looming over her, but she placed a restraining hand upon his chest, "Would you just hold me? I just want to feel you against me," Carol said.

Daryl stared at her for a few moments before nodding finally. He stood up and she crawled to her knees to help him pull back the blankets so that they could crawl under them. She immediately slid into his side, curving her leg over his as he placed his arm around her shoulder. Carol could tell that he wasn't asleep by the way he was breathing and the tension that she could still feel in his body. She knew that he was still thinking about what had happened.

"Daryl it's okay," She insisted.

He huffed, "No it ain't. Was so damn excited ta finally be with ya an' first thing I do is blow my load like a damn horny high school teenager," He grumbled.

Carol instantly pictured Daryl as a teenager and the image in her mind made her chuckle against his chest. He stiffened and she hugged him tightly, "I thought it was wonderful. Watching you having an orgasm was very sexy," She giggled at her words.

"Ya watched?" Daryl's voice sounded horrified.

"Maybe," She replied.

"Hmph," He huffed. "Getcha ass ta sleep. I reckon' I'll be wakin' ya in a few hours ta try it again. Ya know...for practice purposes," He explained.

Carol shook her head with a smile, already tingling at the thought of a second round with Daryl. She was serious about not being bothered about not getting her turn per say. It was flattering, to say the least, that he had been so excited to be with her and hadn't been able to restrain himself. She snuggled into his embrace with a sigh. As long as she could be in his arms at the end of the day, she felt like she could handle anything life wanted to throw at her. As his breathing finally deepened to indicate sleep, she pressed a soft kiss to his chest and closed her own eyes to settle into dreams of Daryl "practicing".

...


	11. Chapter 11

...

Daryl wasn't sure what time it was when he finally woke up, but a glance at Carol told him she was still asleep. She was sprawled out on her back, one arm curved over her head and gloriously naked. Daryl eased the blanket down from her body, taking his time to drink her in. Slipping his arm out from underneath her he climbed slowly to his knees, moving down the bed until he was between her legs. Ever so carefully he nudged them apart so that he could look at her. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life and right now he wanted nothing more than to bring her the pleasure that she had been denied of because of him. He stroked one long finger inside of her slit experimentally, keeping one eye on her to see if she awakened. When she remained asleep he began to stroke her, feeling the wetness surround his finger. She made a little noise in her sleep and he fought back a chuckle. This was all about pleasing her and he wasn't going to stop until she had an orgasm and maybe not even then. He used his fingers to spread her lips apart and shifted himself around so that he could lick her with his tongue. He applied gentle pressure and licked her slit from top to bottom. A moan escaped her lips and he heard Carol's breathing change. Lifting his eyes to her face, he watched as her eyelids fluttered open and she slowly came to awareness. He chose that moment to bury his face in deeper and stroke her clit, hoping like hell he was doing this right. He got his answer when she cried out and leaned up on her elbows, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed with color.

"Daryl," she panted, "What are you doing?"

He rolled his eyes and lifted his mouth from her, "What in tha hell's it look like I'm doin' woman? Now lay back an' enjoy yaself," He ordered gently.

He lowered his head back down and began slowly licking at her as if he were licking an ice cream cone and her head dropped back down. He chuckled, spurred onwards by her reactions. Carol let out a low moan as he experimentally slipped a finger inside of her while he continued his assault with his tongue. Her fingers twisted into his hair, pulling him closer to her body. His eyes lifted to her face as he worked, his own self growing hard as he watched the expressions cross her face. She was biting her lip, her chest heaving, and her eyes closed. He doubted she even really knew where she was at the moment.

"Oh God! Daryl!" She began lifting her hips to his face slightly.

He hummed a muffled question and she cried out harshly as her body tensed. Then she was flooding his mouth with her juices and he worked quickly to catch them all as she pulsed underneath him. He pushed in further and sucked her pulsing clit making her whole body tremor almost violently. She opened her mouth to say something to him and all that came out was a squeak. Daryl say up and wiped his mouth, feeling quite satisfied that she had found her pleasure finally. Lying down next to her, he pulled her limp body close to his, covering them back up with the blanket. He could feel her heartbeat thudding frantically as she worked herself down from the high of her orgasm. He was glad that he could give it to her.

Finally she pressed a kiss to his chest and leaned back to look up at him, "I'm not going to think about how you learned all of that. I'm just going to say that it was _amazing,_ " She said breathlessly.

He frowned momentarily as his thoughts drifted back to how he _had_ earned it and he began feeling guilty again. Carol frowned at his facial expression, "Hey," She grabbed his face, "I didn't say that to make you feel guilty. I don't fault you for doing what you needed to do. I shouldn't have said that."

Daryl shook his head, "Nah, its okay. It ain't somethin' I'm proud of, but I do feel guilty for it," He admitted.

Carol shifted and pressed her lips to his, kissing him to silence. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and Daryl groaned as he flicked his tongue against hers. He leaned her backwards until he was half over her, kissing her as if his life depended on it. When he pulled away they were both breathless and Carol's hands roamed over his chest. He gathered them together, pressing a kiss to them.

"No," He said gently, "This weren't 'bout me. This was all you. 'Sides we got stuff ta do today an' we need ta get a move on."

Carol leaned her forehead against his and gave him a small smile, "Okay."

...

"What about that place?" Carol pointed to a fire department across the street from where they were standing.

Daryl's first inclination was to tell her that it wouldn't ever work, but then he stopped a moment and studied it. It did have an upstairs and it probably had a generator, beds, and bathrooms. He just didn't care much for the windows in the garage door that didn't conceal much downstairs, but it did have a fence in the back that might prove useful.

He shrugged, "Reckon' it wouldn't hurt ta check it out," He replied.

They had been on the search for going on three hours now and Daryl wasn't feeling too optimistic at this point. They hadn't encountered too many walkers, at least not more than they could handle together anyway. The only good thing so far was that they had managed to obtain a good bit of canned goods and some gas for the truck from various houses that they had hit along the way. Daryl was in awe of how well Carol handled herself now as opposed to before. She was as effective as he was at killing walkers and he didn't even have to keep an eye on her for the most part. She took care of herself with skill and ease. All the same, he still found himself glancing at her while they were out, reassuring himself that she was indeed okay. She was quickly becoming the most important person in his life.

"Why don'tcha pull tha truck over an' I'll meet ya over there," Daryl suggested.

Carol nodded, shading her eyes from the sun that had finally decided to make an appearance. It had done little to warm them up however and it was still bitingly cold outside. Daryl jogged quickly across the street while Carol slipped into the truck. He circled around to the back of the building, slipping through the open gate and pausing once to stab a wandering walker in the head. Daryl liked having the element of surprise with them. The windows were dull and dusty, suffering from the affects of being abandoned for so long. Daryl assumed it was abandoned anyhow. He treaded silently around, glimpsing in several windows that afforded him a view. He turned as Carol pulled the truck in behind the building. He walked over to the gate and pulled it closed, glancing around for any threats as they went. He wasn't taking any chances on their safety. He walked back over to the building as Carol wiped at one of the windows to peer inside. She was bent over at the waist, looking intently through the dirty glass and Daryl was struck dumb for a moment as his eyes strayed right to her ass. She stood up suddenly and he blinked, blushing furiously as she glanced at him with raised brows.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders, "Nothin'," He replied gruffly. "Let's check out tha inside an' see what's what," He said as he brushed past her.

He didn't know why he couldn't just come right out and tell her that he thought she had a nice ass. After all that they had done already just that morning and last night and he couldn't even spit out what she would surely receive as a compliment. He growled under his breath in frustration. He hated the fact that he still wasn't all that comfortable with affection. It bothered him that he couldn't even say it to Carol, the one person whom he cared more about than anyone else who had ever come into his shitty life.

So when he pushed open the door to enter the firehouse, he wasn't entirely on guard like he should have been. He never heard the barely audible growl before the two dogs were on him, teeth snapping as they knocked him off of his feet. He heard Carol gasp and he couldn't turn to see if she was alright as his hands pushed at the throats of the two dogs. He could see the blackness of their eyes and their saliva dripped down from their jaws as they growled at him. Daryl wasn't able to grab onto his knife since both of his hands were occupied, but he swung up with his legs and wrapped them around the body of one of the dogs, eliciting a whimper from them as he squeezed tightly. The other dog twisted in his grasp and continued to snap at him as Daryl used his hand that was now free to grab his knife from his waist. Flicking it open with expertise, he grimaced as he stabbed the dog in the throat. He felt the other dog's teeth tear into his leg seconds before he heard the gunshot. The dog's grip immediately slackened as the life faded from its eyes and Daryl knocked it off of him before sitting up. Carol came rushing over to him, the gun still in her hands and her eyes zoned in on his leg.

"Daryl!" She cried out as she dropped to her knees beside him.

"'S alright," Daryl mumbled even as his vision began to cloud. His leg throbbed painfully, but he didn't think it had been that bad of a bite.

"It's not alright. I've got to get this wound clean. Who knows how many diseases those dogs had?" Carol just kept talking and Daryl wasn't sure if he was supposed to be replying or not, but he couldn't seem to focus on her image long enough to form a reply. After a minute it seemed to pass and he inhaled deeply.

Carol was ripping away at the material of his pants with a determined look on her face. Daryl glanced down at his leg as she finally ripped off enough fabric that they could get a good look at it. The flesh was torn open pretty badly and there were teeth marks where the dog had clamped its jaws onto Daryl's leg. The skin around the wound was puffy and red.

"It ain't that bad," Daryl commented even though he wasn't entirely sure _how_ bad it was at the moment. He also wasn't sure if he was saying that to convince himself or her. Carol lifted her head to look at him with eyes filled with worry.

"Have you ever had a rabies vaccine Daryl?" She asked.

Daryl thought back, but he didn't remember many times he had ever really seen a doctor, much less had a shot. Dixon's avoided hospitals like the plague unless there were truly no other options. Finally he shook his head.

"I don't think so. Ya think they had rabies?" He asked with a frown.

He tried to remember all of the signs of rabies, but the pain radiating from his leg was affecting his train of thought.

"We can't risk it. I need to find a vet office or a doctor's office. We're going to need to treat you for it just in case. I remember Hershel telling me about it once. If symptoms start to show in humans then the chances of survival are slim to none," Carol swallowed. "But if we can get you those shots, then your chances are good."

Daryl shifted uncomfortably, "I don't feel like I got no rabies. Except for my damn leg givin' me a fit, I feel fine," He said.

"If I help you, do you think you can make it upstairs? I can clean the wound and then go out to search for the medicine," Carol said.

Daryl grabbed her wrist, "No! Not on your own!" He said.

"Daryl I survived for a year on my own. I need to find this medicine. It's very important," She replied.

Daryl sighed, "I jus' gotcha back. I don't wanna lose ya," He mumbled.

She smiled at him softly, placing her hand on his cheek, "And I don't want to lose _you_. That's why I need to go. I can move quicker on my own," She insisted.

Daryl finally nodded, "Fine. But don't take any chances ya don't have ta take. Get tha shit an' come on back. Keep yer eyes peeled an' stay safe," He told her.

Carol nodded, "Of course I will. Nine lives remember?"


	12. Chapter 12

...

Carol holstered the backpack of supplies onto her back, glancing over at Daryl once more. They had found a set of bunk beds upstairs and with Carol's help she had been able to get Daryl onto one of them. He was leaning with his back against the wall, brooding no doubt judging from the expression on his face.

She sighed, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He flicked his gaze at her. She could tell that he was in a moderate amount of pain from the wound that she had cleaned as best she could. Using their supplies, she had gotten the wound bandaged and given him some Tylenol to take for the pain. Hopefully she wouldn't have to be gone too long and maybe the pills might ease some of his pain. She hoped so anyway. She really didn't want to leave him, but they both knew she had too. She could move a lot faster on her own and if she took him and something happened, they might both die. Carol didn't want to think about that.

He sucked his teeth, looking for all the world like Merle for a few moments, "Ain't crazy 'bout this. Watch yer ass out there. Don't hesitate ta cut yer losses an' run if push comes ta shove," He said gruffly.

Carol took a deep breath. She knew he wasn't meaning to be irritable with her and that he was just worried for her, but she could handle this. She had been handling it for quite some time before they had found each other again. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his softly. He let out a disgruntled breath and then his hand snaked around the back of her head, pulling her closer to him. He ran his tongue into her mouth, kissing her nice and slow so that when they parted, she was breathing heavily. He smirked at her, looking very satisfied with himself.

Carol narrowed her eyes, but she wasn't really mad. "That was dirty," She said. "I was going to let you grope me some before I left, but since you did that..." She paused, a twinkle in her eye.

He groaned and then his expression grew serious as he stared at her. "Please be careful," He cautioned.

She swallowed over a lump in her throat, "I'll be fine. You just take it easy up here. No moving around unless you have to."

He nodded, leaning his head backwards against the wall and closing his eyes, "Ain't gotta worry 'bout that one."

She squeezed his hand one last time and he responded in kind before she left the room, pulling the door closed tightly behind her. Hopefully it would slow down any attacks if they were to happen. She knew that Daryl wouldn't be able to run from anything. She tried to console herself with the fact that he had his bow and a gun if he needed to use them for anything. It would be enough. It would have to be.

...

Carol wasn't entirely sure how much time she had to find this medicine for Daryl, but she knew that the quicker she found it, the better his chances of survival would be. That part was common sense. The hard part was going to be finding this medicine. She needed to locate a veterinarian office and she needed to do so quickly. She drove around the area slowly, scouting out any potential possibilities that might hold these life saving shots. The worry that she wouldn't locate the medicine gnawed at her in the back of her mind and she tried to push it from thought. Positive thoughts. That's what she needed to think of right now.

Dodging a small clump of walkers huddled together she drove on, trying to cover as much ground as possible before dark. She didn't want to spend the night away from Daryl if she could help it. It amazed her how quickly she had grown accustomed to the warmth of his body wrapped around hers at night. She wouldn't give that up without a fight. She had a sinking feeling though that she _would_ be spending the night away from him. There wasn't much daylight left.

"Where is a damn vet's office when you need one?" She thumped her hand against the steering wheel in frustration as she turned down another street.

Carol cruised past it before slamming on the brakes, her mind screaming at her that she had passed it. Shifting the vehicle into reverse, she slammed her foot down on the gas to back up, hitting a walker with the tailgate as she did so. Slamming it into park, she hopped out of the vehicle and pulled out her knife. The walker's arm was pinned underneath the edge of the back tire. It reached for her with its free hand, growling at her like a wild animal starved for food. Shaking her head she kneeled and rammed the blade of her knife through its skull, ceasing all of its movement. Glancing around, she went back to the truck and switched it off, grabbing her backpack from the seat and heading towards the brick building, her fingers crossed.

...

Daryl's leg throbbed and the Tylenol had done little to dull the pain. He had figured that it wouldn't though. The medicine was probably expired and therefore might not be as potent. He felt like shit, plain and simple. Part of that fact he knew was owing to him being worried about Carol. He knew that he shouldn't worry and that she could take care of herself, but he couldn't help it. Even though Carol had survived for a year virtually on her own, he wouldn't ever quit worrying. The need to protect her was strong and if she never made it back then he would sit here until he starved to death. He wasn't going to leave her alone ever again and he would have no desire to live without her.

Shifting in the bed he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, his forehead sweaty with his attempts to get comfortable. Nothing he did was working in the slightest and he was getting antsy just sitting there. With nothing to keep himself occupied he could only sit there and worry. And he did. He worried about Carol and where she was, if she had found anything and if she was safe. He hated playing the waiting game. It made him feel useless and there was nothing that Daryl Dixon hated more than feeling useless.

Snapping his eyes open at the distinct sound of furniture sliding against a floor, he held his breath, all of his senses on full alert. He heard it once more, but quieter this time. Walkers weren't known to move furniture. Lifting his leg with his hand he eased it over to the side of the bed and grunted as he pulled himself to a standing position by using the bunk above him. Grimacing as the flesh pulled around the bite wound, he applied pressure to his leg, still holding onto the bunk as a precaution. It hurt like a bitch, but he figured that it wasn't the worst thing he had ever been through in his lifetime. More than likely it wouldn't be the last either knowing his track record. He pushed past the pain and paused as he heard the distinct sound of hushed voices. Grabbing his crossbow, he checked to make sure it was loaded and tucked the gun into his back pocket just in case. Limping slightly, he made his way towards the door as quietly as he possibly could considering.  
He pressed his ear to the door and strained to hear what the voices were saying.

"Damn," He muttered under his breath when he couldn't make out the conversation.

If there were people down below, it was only a matter of time before they began to explore upstairs as well. Sure enough, moments later he heard the telltale sound of footsteps on the stairs. He raised the crossbow, his stance steady from his position next to the door. He wanted to take whoever it was that entered off guard, to gain the element of surprise. Not knowing how many people were actually nearby, he wasn't taking any unnecessary chances. The doorknob turned and Daryl's finger tightened on the trigger, his eyes narrowed and nostrils flared. The door was swept open and the first person entered, their eyes sliding over to Daryl in surprise as they faced the end of his bow. Daryl paused, lowering the bow slightly as a look of disbelief crossed his face.

"What tha hell?" He muttered.

"Nice to see you too."

...

Carol stuffed as many of the vials of medicine in her pack as she could fit. She didn't want to leave anything behind. It might very well have been the one that could save Daryl's life. She kept an eye on her surroundings as she moved from room to room, making sure she didn't miss anything. Lastly, she entered the offices and began searching through the drawers looking for something she hoped she would be able to find. Without it, she wasn't sure that even having the medicine would be helpful. She couldn't just randomly pick whatever caught her eye and hoped it would work.

Drawer after drawer left her coming up empty-handed and more frustrated. She could feel hot tears stinging her eyelids as she searched through the last office. It was growing dark out and her light was fading. Pulling out her flashlight, she opened the last drawer and a weak smile broke through her tears. Nestled in the drawer was a thick book explaining the uses and medical terms for veterinary medicine. Retrieving the book from the drawer and clutching it to her chest she drew in a deep shuddering breath. Shoving the book into her pack, she zipped it up, feeling a little sliver of hope. She braced her hands against the edge of the desk and pushed until she had it flush against the door. She would bunker down in the little office for the night and come first light, she would take the medicine to Daryl. Hopefully it would be in enough time and everything would be okay. She slid down against the wall, her fingers clutching the straps on her backpack like a lifeline. It would work.

She would _not_ lose him again.

...


	13. Chapter 13

...

Daryl lowered his crossbow, a look of disbelief shadowing his rugged features. He started to speak but another head peered inside of the door and he recognized another familiar face.

"Daryl?" Maggie said incredulously as she stepped into the room, lowering her gun in disbelief.

Daryl was at a loss for words. He peered around them, looking for other members of the group, but there was no one there.

"It's just us," Glenn said, following his gaze.

Maggie stepped into the room, Glenn's arm reaching out to pull her into his side. Daryl's mouth dropped slightly as he looked at Maggie's round stomach. His gaze flicked up to Glenn and Maggie in questioning and Maggie nodded. Glenn pressed a kiss to her forehead softly.

"I'm five months pregnant we think," Maggie's voice came out a little shaky, but she gave him a small smile.

"Congra-" White hot pain streaked through Daryl's leg at that moment and his congratulations was cut short as he bit back a groan.

Glenn and Maggie were at his side instantly, both of their features creased in concern. Together they guided him over to the bunk bed, easing him down on to the mattress.

"What happened?" Glenn asked.

Daryl released a deep breath, his nostrils flaring as he fought down the wave of nausea that swept over him. His hand drifted down to his thigh and Glenn followed it with his eyes.

"The dogs," Maggie said. "They bit you didn't they? We saw the bodies," She said.

Daryl nodded, "Carol. Carol went to get medicine," He breathed out through the pain.

He watched as Glenn and Maggie exchanged looks. He felt his body tense in anger, prepared to defend Carol at any cost.

"Ya got a problem with that?" He said between clenched teeth.

"No. Of course not. We just...we didn't think she was alive is all," Glenn spoke up.

Maggie's eyes glistened with tears, "You're the only one we've run into. Beth was with us, but she...she..." Glenn reached up with his hand and squeezed Maggie's shoulder reassuringly. She walked away from them, her shoulder's shaking.

"Beth got bit," Glenn explained as his gaze followed Maggie's retreat.

Daryl shook his head sadly, "Damn. Hate that shit. Who else?" He asked.

Glenn shrugged, "We don't know. It was just us. Some shit went down after you split. The Governor came back with a group of people. He had a tank. It was bad. We were no match for it and the group got separated when we saw that we were fighting a losing battle. We don't know what happened after that or who got out alive. We went back, but there wasn't much there. We did find the Governor's body though, but I don't know who killed him."

Daryl took a moment to process all of that information. Finally the Governor was dead. Surprisingly Daryl didn't feel the surge of pleasure that he had thought he would. Instead it made him sick to think of all of the innocent lives lost because of one man. He felt a strange sense of comfort in knowing that at least Carol had been safe away from all of this madness. Rick may have sent her away, but it had actually turned out to benefit her more than anything else. Daryl felt a smug sense of satisfaction from that.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Glenn asked with a glance down at Daryl's leg.

Daryl shook his head slowly, "Nah. Jus' hope Carol finds that medicine an' makes it back here safely."

Glenn nodded, his expression grim, "She's strong. She'll make it back."

Daryl turned his attention away from Glenn indicating the conversation to be over. He felt Glenn walk away and he sighed deeply. He just kept repeating over and over again that Carol was a strong woman in his head. It wasn't that he didn't believe it, but he wanted to cling to that statement and the slight hope that it brought him.

...

Carol drove the vehicle as fast as possible back towards the firehouse. She had a bag full of different meds and the book in the seat beside her. She had slept fitfully through the night, waking up almost every hour it seemed. She had constantly checked the window for any sign that daylight was approaching. Finally she was rewarded with the slight tinge of pink on the horizon and she gathered her precious bundle. She hadn't encountered any walkers on her way to the car and she had heaved a big sigh of relief over that fact. Her hands gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white as she pushed the car as fast as possible back to the firehouse and back to Daryl.

She worried about how he had fared through the night and how he was doing now. Hopefully he had stayed put and hadn't tried to move around like she knew he was prone to do when injured. He was the most stubborn person she had ever met when he wanted to be. She prayed that same stubbornness would save his life if necessary. Breathing a sigh of relief as the building came into view, she parked the vehicle on the side of the building. She would move it into the fence later. Right now she had more important things to attend to.

Grabbing up the bag of meds and her backpack, she let herself inside of the building. She paused for a moment, her eyes searching into the shadows for any threats while her ears listened for any noise. Satisfied that everything seemed to be peaceful for the moment, she made her way up the stairs. Carol knocked lightly on the door.

"Daryl. It's me," She called.

She frowned when she heard voices and shuffling. Her heart beginning to beat double she eased the bag of medicine to the floor, her knife ready in hand. The doorknob turned and Carol's breathing caught as she waited. The door suddenly snapped back closed and Carol frowned. She could hear whispered voices, but she couldn't make out the words through the thickness of the door.

The door opened again just a crack, "Don't shoot!" A familiar voice called out to her.

Carol tilted her head and slowly lowered her knife, still keeping it by her side just in case. The door slowly opened the rest of the way and Carol blinked several times as she stared at the two people on the other side. The knife slipped from her hand as her mouth dropped in surprise. It had been a year, but she would never forget their faces.

Maggie was the first to come bounding through the doorway, Carol's eyes widening as she took in the woman's rounded belly. She barely had time to register the implications of that as Maggie wound her arms around her, crushing her with her tight grip.

"It's so good to see you Carol! I'm so sorry for everything!" Maggie said tearfully.

Carol returned the embrace, glancing over her shoulder and into the eyes of Glenn who was shifting back and forth on his feet awkwardly. Maggie finally pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Sorry. I've been unusually emotional lately," Maggie explained.

Carol raised a brow, "I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you're carrying a little life in there," She said with a teasing smile.

Maggie laughed and squeezed her hand affectionately. Glenn cleared his throat and Carol stepped away from Maggie, reaching up to cup Glenn's face in her hands.

"Hi Glenn," Carol smiled softly at the guy who had always had the ability to make her laugh even during the worst of times.

Glenn smiled, removed her hands and pulled her in for a hug, "I thought..." Glenn let his voice trail off, his fears rushing to the surface.

Carol nodded against his shoulder, pulling back to look at him, "It's okay. I'm alive and I'm here."

They heard a moan and Carol jumped guiltily, realizing that in her shock she had forgotten to see to Daryl. She brushed past Glenn, running over to the bed where Daryl lying, twitching in his sleep, his lips moving silently. Carol knelt beside the bed, her hand coming up to rest against Daryl's forehead.

"He's burning up! Can one of you get me some cool towels or something I can lay across him?"

Carol pushed past her fears, her primary concern being to care for the man that she loved more than life itself. She pulled the blankets off of him, working quickly to try and reduce his body's temperature. She glanced over her shoulder to see Maggie digging for some towels and gestured to Glenn who had an expression of clear worry upon his face.

"Glenn, I need your help. Can you lift him a little so that I can slide his pants off?" Carol asked.

Glenn nodded, coming over quickly to do as she asked. She carefully worked the material around his wound and dropped the pants onto the floor. She covered him with a sheet and reached underneath to remove his boxers. She nodded to Glenn to release him and he did so, an expression of relief crossing his face. Maggie hurried over, handing her a couple of wet towels which she quickly worked to place onto his forehead and across his waist.

"I thought fevers were a sign that your body was fighting an infection?" Glenn asked.

Carol nodded, "They are, but his is too high. Anything over one hundred and four is dangerous and since I don't have a way of reading his temperature, I am just going to try and cool him off a little. I don't like how hot he feels," Carol explained.

Maggie bent over and placed one hand against Daryl's forehead, her own features twisting in concern, "He _is_ really hot. He was fine earlier. He had some pain, but it seemed to pass enough for him to fall asleep. Glenn stayed up to keep an ear out for you, but then he ended up falling asleep too."

Glenn rubbed a hand through his hair, his face reddening, "Sorry," He muttered.

"It's okay Glenn. Feel free to sleep some now. I can watch him," She said as she leaned over and stroked her fingers through Daryl's hair. "Don't leave me now," She whispered as she brushed her lips against his cheek.

She walked over and grabbed the bag full of medicine, digging for the one with the name that she had committed to memory. Once she had the vial of liquid, she reached inside for a syringe.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Glenn asked worriedly.

Carol gave him a sidelong glance, "Nope. I read the book though. It says that Imovax is the drug I need and that the first shot should be administered immediately, and then another shot on the third, seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-eighth day," Carol recited from memory.

"Imovax," Maggie said suddenly. She nodded. "I remember Daddy saying that name before."

Carol plunged the needle into the vial, withdrawing the liquid slowly, tapping it as she brought it out. She glanced over at Daryl again who now seemed to be resting a bit more peacefully. She muttered a quick prayer underneath her breath as she lifted a corner of the sheet to expose his thigh. Glancing up she met Maggie and Glenn's worried gazes before drawing in a deep breath and giving Daryl the injection. Daryl twitched, but didn't awaken. Carol rested her head on the mattress next to him, watching as his eyelids fluttered while he slept. She grabbed his hand in hers and pressed a kiss to his palm, closing his fingers around it gently.

"Stay safe," She murmured.

...


	14. Chapter 14

...

Daryl opened his eyes to find Carol sleeping next to him only she wasn't in the bed. She had her butt planted on the floor and her head cradled into her arms that rested right next to his stomach. He smiled softly as he heard her soft snores.

"She fell asleep about an hour ago," Maggie's voice said, her voice whisper soft.

"What ya doin' up? It don't feel like mornin'," He grumbled.

Maggie shook her head, "It's not. Carol got back first thing this morning and you've slept all day. I'm up keeping an ear out. Glenn needs the rest and I can't sleep much with this wiggle worm," She smiled fondly down at her belly.

Daryl's eyes cut to her belly and then back over at Carol. She did look tired and he wondered if she had gotten any rest at all while she was out looking for the medicine. At the thought of the medicine, he started to panic.

"She find tha medicine?" He asked Maggie.

"Yeah. She gave you the injection already. You get another one in three days. She also gave you something for pain and inflammation."

It was only then that Daryl realized that he was fully naked underneath a sheet that was much too thin in his opinion. He swallowed, feeling like he wanted to disappear into the floor.

"My clothes?" He asked.

Maggie pointed to a table near the bed and Daryl bit back a sound of frustration.

"Don't worry. Carol was the one who undressed you. You were running a high fever and we had to bring it down. It was the quickest way," Maggie explained.

The explanation did little to nothing to ease the redness that had crept over his face.

"Why don'tcha get some sleep? I'm not tired an' I can keep an eye out, wake y'all up if I hear anything," Daryl suggested.

Maggie glanced over at Glenn who was sleeping peacefully on a makeshift bed in the corner of the room. She looked hesitant.

"Are you sure you're up to it? I don't mind waitin'," She said.

"Go on. Ya need yer rest before that baby gets here," Daryl urged.

Maggie finally relented and gave him a small smile before crawling under the blankets with Glenn. He watched as they snuggled together, their lumpy forms merging underneath the blankets. Daryl pulled himself up to a sitting position, leaning his back against the wall behind him. He sat there for a bit just looking around the room, occasionally letting his eyes come to rest upon Carol. Part of him wanted to wake her up and tell her to climb into the bed, but another part of him hesitated because then she might not go back to sleep and she obviously needed it. He knew that lying like that couldn't be comfortable so that further reinforced in his mind how tired she must be. The sounds of everyone's deep and steady breathing filled the air around him, the soft noise being a comfort to him. He lifted his left hand and softly stroked his fingers through Carol's short curls. She stirred and he paused, but she just made a little noise in the back of her throat and seemed to settle back into sleep. He lightly stroked her curls again, ignoring the dull pain that was starting to throb in his thigh again. He lay as still as he could for as long as possible so that he didn't disturb her, but eventually the need to use the bathroom began to grow stronger.

He sighed, knowing that he was going to have to wake her up. He couldn't very well walk to the bathroom with just this thin sheet covering him. He shook her shoulder gently.

"Carol," He whispered.

She slowly began to stir and her eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times as her brain adjusted to where she was. Finally she sat up and focused on Daryl, grimacing as she stretched her sore muscles.

"What's the matter? You hurting?" She whispered.

Daryl shook his head, not wanting to tell her that he had a little pain. It wasn't anything more than he could handle and he hated worrying her. She would work herself to the bone trying to take care of him as it was. He hated relying on others to do even the simplest of things.

"Nah...gotta use tha bathroom," He replied.

Carol yawned, "Okay. Come on and I'll help you," She stood up and held out her hand.

Daryl raised a brow and then shot a pointed glance down at the sheet that covered him.

"Might need ta put on some clothes first," He suggested.

Carol followed his gaze and he watched as her face warmed, her cheeks blooming with color.

"Right," She responded as she turned to grab his things.

It took them a while, but they finally got his pants and shirt on. Daryl had almost worked up a sweat by then, wiping quickly at his brow before Carol could see. The ache in his thigh had increased from a dull throb to a raging fire, but he still hid it from her.

Using the bars of the bunk above him to pull himself to a standing position, Carol then worked her body underneath one of his arms for support. They took their time shuffling to the bathroom, Carol urging him to take it slow and he was glad because he definitely didn't think he could go much faster. Once they reached the bathroom door on the opposite side of the room, she hesitated before going inside with him. It was oddly intimate for them both to be in the bathroom at the same time and nothing that either of them had ever experienced before.

Carol glanced around the room, looking down at her shoes.

"I'll step right outside. You think you got it?" She asked.

Daryl swallowed. He hadn't ever asked anyone to help him use the bathroom before and he would be damned if he would now. No matter how bad he was hurting, he would suck it up. It wasn't that he didn't care for Carol, but it was more a matter of pride than anything else. He propped one hand against the bathroom wall to steady himself and nodded.

"I'll call ya when I'm done," He said gruffly.

Carol nodded and exited the room, leaving him alone to take care of his business.

...

Carol leaned her head back against the bathroom door. She could tell that Daryl was hurting more than he was letting on to her, but he was being completely stubborn about it. At least he was awake and moving around and that made her feel better. Just the fact that he was acting stubborn brought her relief. She had worried about him when his body had been so hot to the touch.

It made her feel better to have Maggie and Glenn around also even though she would never admit it. Over the course of the year when she had been alone she had gotten used to it, but now she was realizing how much she had missed being around people. She missed having interactions with others and taking care of people. It was in her blood.

Maggie being pregnant worried her some, especially since they didn't have the amount of medicine or people around like they had had at the prison. Even though it hadn't been much better at the prison, at least Hershel would have been around had she needed any help. She wondered if any of the others of their group were still alive out there. She really hoped so. Seeing Glenn and Maggie brought back hope that maybe they would run into the others. She wondered how she would react if they ran into Rick. She figured that Daryl might lose control, but she wasn't sure about herself. A year ago she might have raged at him, but now she couldn't say for sure. After her breakdown with Daryl when they had gone back to the prison, she wasn't sure if she had any feelings at all over the situation anymore. She felt numb about it all in a way.

"Carol," Daryl's voice called to her through the door.

She stood up straight and opened the door, keeping her eyes shut just in case. Daryl chuckled at her.

"What tha hell ya gotcha eyes closed for?" He asked.

Carol cracked open one eye, finding him leaning back against the wall for support and staring at her.

"I just wanted to make sure you were decent is all," She explained.

He shook his head with a small smile, "Ain't nothin' here ya ain't seen before," He commented in a low voice that sent shivers down her spine.

She averted her eyes from his piercing gaze, feeling bad for thinking about him in a sexual nature when he was wounded. She took a moment to get her hormones under control and walked over to him to help him stand. When she lifted his arm to duck underneath he wrapped it around her waist, tugging her in close to him. Her breath caught as she stared up into his face. The pain was still there hidden in his eyes, but there was also desire.

"Daryl. You're hurt. Let's get you back to bed and I'll give you something for pain," Carol urged.

His nostrils flared as he lowered his head towards her, "I got what I need for pain right here Carol. Don't push me away," He whispered.

Carol couldn't resist him and he knew it. He moved his lips closer until they met hers and she sunk into the kiss. All of her feelings and emotions over the thought of losing him poured through that kiss. His tongue danced around hers and he tightened his grip on her, pulling her closer to him. She could feel his erection between them and she was glad that Maggie and Glenn were nearby so that they couldn't get out of hand. Having sex right now would not help Daryl's situation, but it was hard for her to think clearly whenever he was kissing her like he was. His lips were warm as they massaged hers, his other hand coming up to cup her cheek.

Moaning slightly as she broke the kiss, she rested her forehead against his chest. He was bracing his entire weight against the wall and she wanted to get him back to bed, but at the same time she didn't want to leave this moment with him. A part of her was jealous that it wasn't just the two of them anymore even though she was relieved that Glenn and Maggie were safe.

"We need to get you in bed Daryl," She pleaded softly.

Daryl pressed a kiss to the top of her head, but he made no effort to move.

"Just five more minutes woman. We go back in there an' we can't do this," His voice came out rough and gravelly.

She sighed, sinking into his warmth, but mindful not to press her full body weight against him. She closed her eyes and listened to the beating of his heart through his t-shirt, the sound soothing to her ears. This was the place that she felt the most peace, where she felt the safest. In his arms was where she felt at home.

"I love you," She whispered.

His heartbeat kicked up a notch and his whole body tensed. She held her breath, wondering if she should have kept her feelings quiet a little longer.

His arms tightened around her a second before replying, "Love you too."

...


	15. Chapter 15

...

" _I love you too."_

Daryl's mind was spinning with that revelation. He lay back in the bed with his eyes closed, replaying the moment over and over in his mind. Had he really just declared out loud his love for her? She hadn't made a big production out of it and she hadn't cried either so that was a plus. She had helped him back to the bed and now she was moving about the room and making him tired just from watching her. It wasn't even morning, Maggie had said he had slept all day so he assumed it to be sometime in the middle of the night. At best, Carol had only had maybe two hours of sleep.

He sighed as he watched her quietly try and organize things by candlelight.

"Carol," He said softly, mindful of Glenn and Maggie sleeping on the other side of the room.

She lifted her head, their eyes meeting, "Do you need something else?"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah... _you_. Come to bed. You can't function properly on less than two hours of sleep."

"I'm fine. Someone needs to keep an ear out and I'm already up."

He growled low in his throat. Flinging the blankets back, he grunted with his efforts to move himself from the bed. To his credit, he was actually doing remarkably well considering the amount of pain that he was in at the moment. Carol immediately dropped what she was doing and came over to him which is what he had been hoping for.

"What are you-"

Her question was cut off by his hand tugging on her wrist, tipping her off balance and down onto the mattress beside him. He breathed out a quiet sigh of relief when she narrowly missed his wound on the way down. His grip was firm, but gentle as he made sure that she didn't scramble back up.

"Ya need some sleep. Close yer eyes, I'll take watch," He said.

"Daryl I can't sleep up here with you. What if I hit your leg in the middle of the night? These beds are too small," She protested.

"I'm well aware o' how damn small tha beds are," He responded gruffly.

He was very aware of it in fact. Just the simple brush of her breasts even through her t-shirt against his arm was affecting him in ways that it shouldn't. He hated being wounded. Hated it with a passion.

"I'll be fine staying up for a few hours. I'll wake Glenn in just a bit and let him take over, I promise," She said.

"This is 'bout tha only damn thing I'm able ta do ta contribute right now an' ya damn near tryin' ta take it away from me. I been sleepin' all damn day an' I reckon' it ain't gon' kill me ta stay up a couple hours."

Carol sighed, her features giving way to her exhaustion.

"I suppose I could use an hour or so of sleep," She said.

Daryl shifted, reaching up with his arm and wrapping it around her, tugging her into his side. She finally sank into him, her head coming to rest in the crook of his arm.

"So damn stubborn," He muttered, "Don't know where ya picked that trait up from."

She snickered softly, "Got it from this redneck I used to know. He was a total heart-throb and the best part is that he didn't even know it."

His lips tugged up into a smile, "Might need ta pick ya friends better," He teased.

She yawned, "No. I think he'll do just fine," She mumbled.

Daryl chuckled and watched as her eyes slid shut, her breathing evening out as she slipped into sleep. He shifted slightly, feeling the hilt of her knife sticking out from her pants. Being careful not to disturb her, he slid the knife out and set it on the mattress next to him in case he needed to make a quick grab for it.

...

Carol was very warm and she snuggled deeper into the warmth, fighting her body's efforts to wake up. It was only when she felt lips against hers that her eyes flashed open. Intense blue orbs stared straight back at her as Daryl moved in for another kiss. Carol lazily opened to him, letting her tongue slide lazily inside of his mouth. His lips were warm as well as his breath as it fanned her face while they kissed. Moaning a little, Carol turned onto her side to completely face him and then she remembered Glenn and Maggie. Her body stilling, she pulled back from Daryl.

"We can't do this. We're not alone," She whispered.

He kissed her forehead gently, "Actually we are. They went out 'bout an hour ago ta look for more supplies," Daryl replied as he tried to kiss her again.

Carol pushed against his chest, evading his attempts, "But Maggie's pregnant!"

Daryl sighed, flopping his head back onto the pillow with his eyes closed. Finally he cracked open one eye to look at her.

"Don't mean she's injured or nothin'. Hell I offered ta go, but they wouldn't let me. They didn't want me ta wake ya up neither. Maggie said she's gonna do runs as long as her body will let her."

"You have no business being out there Daryl Dixon!" Carol scolded.

Daryl chuckled at her pursed lips, his thumb reaching over to stroke her pout. She flattened her lips and then stuck her tongue out at him.

"I ain't out there now am I? I'm right here, tryin' ta talk ya inta makin' out a lil' bit, but all ya wanna do is ta-"

Carol pushed herself over, taking control of his lips with hers, her hands coming up to cup his cheeks as she kissed him with everything she had. His hands rubbed her skin through her clothes and Carol felt herself growing flush with need. When her hand encountered his obvious erection, she lost control.

"I need to feel you," She breathed.

His darkened eyes met hers, an understanding passing between them before he grabbed her hips, shifting her body over and on top of his. He positioned her over his erection, her hips grinding into it lightly. He sucked in a breath, his eyes fixating on hers. Carol fumbled with her pants, glancing quickly back towards the door.

"How long they been gone?" She asked.

"No more'n an hour," He replied hoarsely.

She nodded. Shifting to her knees, she pushed her pants and panties down then lifted each leg in turn to pull them off. Mindful of Daryl's thigh she unzipped his pants, pausing to look over at him.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" She asked.

He swallowed, "No. But if we don't, then ya might as well kill me an' put me outta my misery."

Carol smirked at him, "Very funny."

She reached her hand into his pants and pulled his cock from his jeans. It stood up hard, glistening, and very ready for her. Licking her lips, she threw her leg across his waist and straddled him again. Gripping the base of his cock, she aligned herself with it and then slowly sank down onto the tip. Their moans mixed together as she took him all of the way in. Daryl's hands gripped her waist, holding her down before she could start to move.

"Daryl?"

"Jus' gimme a minute," He whispered, his forehead creased in tension.

"Am I hurting you? I can mo-"

"For Chrissakes woman! Ya ain't hurtin' me," Daryl interrupted. "I ain't even thinkin' 'bout my damn leg."

Carol blushed, her mouth clamping shut as she waited. After a couple of minutes he released her and pumped his hips upwards into her, urging her on. Carol was acutely aware of the fact that at any given moment Glenn and Maggie could return. Surprisingly enough she wasn't so much concerned about them seeing them like this, she was more concerned over having to stop before either of them had reached their orgasm. This time it seemed different, not quite as slow and sensual, but more animal like. They both needed the release and they worked together to bring each other to that point quickly. It didn't take long before her body clenched around him like a vice, her insides spiraling out of control. Minutes later he followed, biting down on his lip as he grunted loudly.

Carol hadn't ever felt such primal need to be with someone so physically before that. She didn't know if it was because they could have been caught that made it feel so wild, but she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. She climbed quickly off of Daryl, heading to the bathroom with her clothing so that she could clean herself off and put her clothes back on. She brought back napkins so that Daryl could clean his own self off and then she climbed back into bed with him.

"How's your leg?" She asked.

Daryl smirked, "Mmm...s'fine."

Carol snickered, "Stupid question, right?"

Daryl turned his head so that he could look at her, "Very."

He smiled before his expression turned serious and he lifted his hand to pull her face to his for a slow kiss that left her reeling.

"I enjoyed that very much," He said.

Carol nodded in agreement, "Me too."

They lay their in silence, Daryl covered halfway by blankets and Carol lying on top of them, tangled in each others arms. She felt content in that moment and she knew she would rather die a thousand deaths than give up moments like these. It felt so good to finally have that connection with someone, to feel loved and respected by someone, and to have those same emotions returned to her. She knew that as long as she had Daryl, she wouldn't ever be lonely and she could only hope that he felt the same. Yesterday's revelation had been so profound for him that she was trying extra hard not to badger him about it. She was accepting it for what it was and she was happy with that.

"Feel sorry for Glenn an' Maggie," Daryl said softly.

"Why is that?"

"Cause I got a feelin' they gonna be goin' on a lot more runs in tha future."

...


	16. Chapter 16

...

It had been two weeks since Carol had given Daryl the first injection and thankfully he seemed to be showing no signs of being sick or anything. He was walking around lots better now and his wound seemed to be healing nicely.

At the moment she had a nice view of him laid back on the bed in his boxers as she prepared to give him another injection. There would be one more after this one and then he would be done with them. Maggie and Glenn had headed down the stairs so that they could have some privacy while she gave him the shot. She bit back a chuckle at the way he had his face scrunched up, his body tense in preparation for the shot.

"You know, for such a tough guy, you sure are a big baby when it comes to getting shots," Carol teased.

Daryl grunted, narrowing his eyes at her before she pressed the needle into his skin, pushing the plunger to dispense the medicine into his body. She had read somewhere that it should be dispensed near the wound to be the most effective so she tried to get as close as possible without hitting on an area that was too tender. All of the medicine dispensed, she pulled the needle back out of skin and he hissed.

"It ain't tha fuckin' needle that hurts. It's tha stuff in it. Don't even feel tha damn needle. Sure as shit feel that medicine though," He said gruffly.

Carol disposed of the used needle as he sat up on the bed. She pressed a kiss to his forehead affectionately.

"You did good," She said, "If I had a lollipop, you would totally get one."

She bit back a laugh as Daryl growled at her, yanking her forward and into his arms.

"When did ya become so damn sassy?" He asked.

Carol shrugged, "At the same time you became so grumpy I suppose," She teased.

He huffed, looking offended, "I ain't grumpy."

Carol raised a brow, "You are, but I think it's because you've been cooped up inside of this room for so long now. It's not as cold out anymore if you and Glenn want to venture out? I can stay here with Maggie."

Daryl looked towards the window like he was contemplating it and she knew that he really wanted to be out of this room. Daryl Dixon was _not_ the type to sit still for long periods, especially indoors. She knew that it was hard on him and they could really use the fresh meat as well. They had almost eaten through their supply of canned goods and Maggie would need the protein for the baby. She didn't want to rush him though.

"I ain't too keen on leavin' ya here by yerself," He commented.

"I won't be by myself. I'll be with Maggie," She replied.

"Maggie's pregnant," He said.

Carol feigned shock, "Is she? I hadn't noticed!"

Daryl shook his head, chuckling at her, "Smartass," He said as he tugged her closer to him, his pants still down around his ankles as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Ya sure you'll be alright?"

"I'm positive. We've got this and you don't need to go alone. You're still not functioning at one hundred percent."

Daryl grumbled, mumbling under his breath, but he knew that she was right. He was lots better, but so much time spent indoors the past two weeks had weakened him a little. He was used to being outside every day and he longed for the comfort of the forest. Hell at this point, he would settle for a stroll down the sidewalk.

He nodded, "Alright. I'll take Glenn with me. He'd pro'bly be a lot quieter than Maggie at this point anyway."

Carol snickered, hitting him lightly on the chest as he smiled. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, his own drawing her in eagerly. They didn't always have time like this alone and he took advantage of every opportunity that presented itself. He felt himself growing hard just from the touch of her lips and he reached up with his hand to run it underneath her shirt. Carol pulled away, laughing and smacking at his hand.

"Daryl!" She chided.

"Alright, alright. I'm goin'," He held his hands up in mock surrender.

...

An hour or so later, Daryl and Glenn were deep into the woods hoping to find themselves a nice deer or a few squirrels to cook for dinner. It had been a while since Daryl had been on his own with Glenn so he wasn't really sure what to talk about. Apparently Glenn wasn't either because he hadn't said much since they had started on this little expedition.

"Let's take a break. I need a smoke," Daryl said as he leaned against a tree, resting his leg that was throbbing dully.

"You feeling okay? Do we need to go back?" Glenn asked.

Daryl shook his head as he dug into his pocket for his cigarettes and lighter, "Nah. Jus' need a minute is all. Food's gettin' low. Either we find us somethin' ta kill out here or we gonna have ta scavenge some houses on tha way back."

"There's not a whole lot left to hunt anymore," Glenn commented as he dug into his pack for a bottle of water.

Daryl nodded, "I know. They still some here though, jus' gotta dig a lil' harder ta find 'em is all."

"How do you know?"

Daryl pointed to the dirt near his boots, "Tracks."

Glenn squinted at the dirt in front of Daryl's feet, obviously trying very hard to see what Daryl was seeing. Finally Glenn shook his head.

"I don't see anything. How can you tell? All I see are leaves and dirt."

Daryl took a drag from his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke, "Gotta look past tha big picture. It's hard ta explain. Once ya do it for so long it jus' becomes second nature I guess," He pointed to the ground, "See how the grass an' shits all stirred up?"

Glenn nodded, kneeling down so that he could peer more closely at the ground, "Yeah."

"Well if ya look real close, you'll see the marks on tha ground there. Pro'bly a raccoon or fox judgin' from tha size," Daryl explained.

Glenn scratched his head, frowning a little. He stared down at the ground for several minutes before sighing.

"I don't see it, but I believe you when you say it's there."

Daryl chuckled, leaning over to pat Glenn on the back, "S'alright. Not everyone's cut out for tha shit. Don't be so hard on yaself," He said.

He didn't know if Glenn was just upset that he couldn't see what Daryl saw or if there was something else going on. Either way, Daryl sensed there was something going on with the man. He was also worried that now he was going to be dragged into some sort of conversation that would involve feelings and Daryl wasn't good with feelings. He crushed out his cigarette, prepared to continue onward when he noticed that Glenn wasn't moving along with him.

"Ready?" Daryl prompted.

Glenn sighed, still staring at the same spot on the ground, but Daryl had a feeling that he wasn't really seeing the ground. Daryl groaned, knowing that they weren't likely to continue until Glenn got whatever was bothering him off of his chest.

Letting out a deep breath, Daryl perched himself on top of a stump that was nearby, "Somethin' botherin' ya?"

It took Glenn a few minutes, but he finally began moving around again. He ran a hand through his black hair.

"It's Maggie and this whole pregnancy," He finally admitted. Glenn looked up and their eyes met, "I'm scared to fucking death."

There wasn't a whole lot that Daryl knew to tell him. He didn't know one bit about pregnancies except for what he had seen with Lori and even that hadn't been much. Daryl hadn't exactly been Lori's biggest fan.

"Well what's scarin' ya? Her givin' birth?"

Glenn nodded, "Well there's that and then the fact that I have absolutely no clue what I'm doing. I can't hunt or track. Eventually food will run out. How am I supposed to take care of them?"

"Ya brought 'er this far, didn'tcha?" Daryl asked.

Glenn shrugged, "Yeah. Barely."

"Ain't no barely," Daryl scoffed, "Ya either did or ya didn't."

"Yeah, but there were close calls...too close," Glenn explained.

Daryl stood up, casting a quick glance around them to make sure they hadn't attracted unwanted attention before continuing on.

"And? So what? They gonna be a lotta close calls in life. Point is that ya pushed on, ya did what ya had to ta keep 'er safe. I imagine that when tha time comes, you'll do tha same with tha baby," Daryl said.

"But what if something happens when she's giving birth to this baby? What then?"

Daryl didn't know what to say to the man to ease his worry. He had thought that they had had a pretty good setup for Lori to give birth, but then shit had happened and now Lori was gone. Daryl didn't know whether or not Lil' Asskicker was still alive or not. This world they lived in wasn't a kind one and it spared no one.

"Then I guess you an' tha baby will jus' have ta find a way ta carry on. We'll do what we can ta help 'er through it, but ya gotta stay strong for ya kid, no matter what happens."

Daryl was relieved when Glenn finally let out a deep breath and began making attempts at getting a move on. They still had a lot of ground to cover and Daryl wasn't too keen on being out after dark. At the rate they were going, they would need all the time they could get.

They slowly began walking, Daryl's eyes fixated between the ground in front of them and the woods surrounding them.

"Thanks," Glenn said finally, "Sorry I loaded all of that on you. I just...I can't discuss this with Maggie."

Daryl nodded, "Ain't no problem," He muttered, "Jus' don't let it happen again."

Glenn glanced at him and Daryl offered him a small smile to show that he was teasing. Glenn snickered, his somber expression lifting away some. They trudged on through the woods, the silence once again surrounding them. The tension was now gone, broken by their conversation about Maggie. It began to feel like old times again and for a moment Daryl could imagine that things were the way they used to be except this time he had Carol, and he wasn't ever letting her go.

...


	17. Chapter 17

...

"So," Carol said as she and Maggie plundered around on the bottom floor of the firehouse, "Want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Maggie asked as she opened up a box that turned out to be empty.

"I don't know. You tell me what's got you looking so glum."

Maggie kicked the box lightly with her foot and sighed, "I'm worried about Glenn, this baby, and...just everything." She said.

Carol sympathized with the younger woman in a way. She couldn't imagine what she might have gone through if she had given birth to Sophia during the zombie apocalypse. She hadn't been able to keep her daughter alive at nine years old, much less the thought of having to keep an infant alive which was an entirely different story. She walked over and rubbed Maggie's shoulder in an affectionate gesture.

"I know it's hard. I think about Sophia all of the time and wish that I could turn back time because I would have handled things differently, gone after her myself. I'm here and I'll do whatever I can to help you through this birth. As far as Glenn goes...well he'll be fine. It's natural for the daddy to be worried and maybe this time out with Daryl will help him a little," Carol said.

Maggie sniffed, wiping at tiny tears that settled at the corner's of her eyes, "I'm so sorry Carol," She said.

Carol was confused and she pulled Maggie into her arms, letting the woman cry onto her shoulder, forever offering comfort.

"No need to apologize to me."

Maggie shook her head, pulling back to stare at Carol, "You don't understand. When Rick came back and told me what you had done, that he had left you there, I went along with it. In my head I knew that it was wrong, but I didn't go against him. He wasn't stable Carol. You could see it in his eyes," Maggie's voice broke onto a sob and she pressed her face into Carol's shoulder again.

Carol stood there, rubbing her hand over Maggie's shoulder soothingly as she thought about what she had said. She could tell that Maggie was genuinely troubled by the events and she couldn't believe that the woman was still holding onto that after all this time. Carol in no way blamed her for any of it. Maggie couldn't have stopped Rick from sending her away because Rick hadn't told anyone his intentions and who would have ever expected him to do that? She definitely hadn't expected it.

"It's okay Maggie. That's in the past, it's over."

Maggie sniffled, rubbing her face into Carol a little before finally pulling back to stare at Carol with a tear soaked expression, "Do you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive," Carol stated.

Maggie shook her head firmly, "Yes there is. I should have stood up for you. I should have told someone and maybe we could have done something."

Carol smiled fondly at the younger woman, "Honey what could you have done? The deed was already done by the time he told you and I was long gone in that car. I'm _fine_ now. I made it and it all happened the way that it was supposed to," Carol brushed back a strand of Maggie's hair, "I _forgive_ you."

Maggie nodded at Carol, smiling through her tears in relief. She grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, Carol returning the squeeze affectionately. Maggie took a few minutes to gather herself together, chuckling a little at her display of emotion.

"Sorry about that," She sniffed. "My emotions have been all over the place. Some days I barely know which way I'm going."

Carol laughed, "I remember when I was pregnant with Sophia. I used to cry over commercials!"

The two women laughed, the heavy blanket of tension in the room broken by their shared laughter. Together they got back up and began sifting through the rest of the things that they could find downstairs, hoping to find something of use.

...

Daryl couldn't ever remember feeling so tired. The time that he and Glenn had spent trekking through the woods had taken a toll on his body after so many days of being cooped up inside of the building. Even though his body was fatigued, he had still enjoyed the feeling of being outdoors and he was glad to have gotten to be outside. They had managed to kill four squirrels which would be just enough to feed the four of them thankfully.

Glenn had kept watch outside while Daryl had cleaned the squirrels and taken the remains away from the building to dispose of so that it wouldn't attract unwanted attention. Looking at the both now, he chuckled at how filthy they both looked.

"What?" Glenn asked.

Daryl shrugged, "We look like a pair o' bandits. Dirty as hell," He remarked.

Glenn snickered, "Maybe the women will have pity and give us a sponge bath."

"We may can make some type of arrangement," Carol remarked from her perch at the top of the stairs as she watched the men enter the building.

Daryl's eyes met hers and even though he was tired, his mood instantly lifted at the sight of her. No matter how many times he saw her, she always managed to take his breath away. He winked at her as he made his way to the top of the stairs, carrying the meat from the squirrels.

"You catch us some dinner Dixon?" Carol's eyes sparkled playfully as he stopped in front of her.

"Gotcha four squirrels woman. Ya still remember how ta cook 'em?" He teased back, a small smile playing upon his lips.

Carol twined her arms around his neck, leaning into him, "Gonna refresh my memory?"

Daryl chuckled, his eyes zoning in on her lips as she closed her eyes in anticipation of a kiss. He was leaning forward when Glenn cleared his throat loudly behind him. Daryl had forgotten Glenn was even back there and they both turned around to look at him.

Without giving it a second thought, Daryl thrust the squirrel into Glenn's hands and moved over for the man to pass by them.

"Take care o' that for me, would'ja? We'll be along in a minute," Daryl said, his voice low as he turned to stare back at Carol.

Carol blushed, smiling apologetically at Glenn. Glenn sighed, rolling his eyes at them as he scooted past them to the door.

"Thanks Glenn. Maybe I can talk Maggie into giving you that sponge bath later," Carol said.

Glenn's face turned red before he could hide it from them and he opened the door, disappearing inside without a word. Daryl grabbed her before she could say another word and pressed her back against the wall.

Before he could kiss her, she placed her hand over his mouth stopping him. He blinked at her in confusion.

"You're hurting," She said.

Daryl shrugged. That was the last thing on his mind right now.

"I'm alright," He said as he tried to move in for a kiss again.

"Daryl-" Carol started to protest.

Daryl cut off her protests by pressing his lips against hers, his body stepping forward to pin her gently to the wall. His teeth caught her bottom lip between his and he sucked on the plump flesh, dragging his tongue over it. He released her lip slowly and opened his eyes to stare at her.

"Ya jus' don't know when ta shut yer mouth, do ya woman?" He asked with a smirk.

Carol's face burned red and she stuck out her tongue at him. He growled low in his throat and swooped in again, her tongue having teased him into another kiss. He wouldn't ever be able to resist her no matter how hard he tried, but he wasn't trying. Not anymore. She was his now and he was determined to keep her alive and with him at all costs. No, they wouldn't ever lose each other again. He wouldn't allow it.

Leaving the sanctity of her lips, he moved down her neck, kissing a trail of fire over her smooth skin. She moaned, her fingers gripping into his shoulders, her eyes closed as she leaned her head back against the wall. The picture she portrayed was so erotic that Daryl found himself unbearably aroused. He knew that she could feel it too judging by the way she opened her eyes, her gaze sliding downwards in that direction.

"I need ya Carol," He whispered against her neck, his lips trailing over her rapidly beating pulse.

"We can't. Glenn...Maggie..." She whispered back.

Her eyes were cloudy with desire, her pupils dilated with her arousal. Swallowing, Daryl looked around, his brain searching for some sort of private place where they could be alone. Stepping to the side, he motioned for her to stay put and he opened the door to find Glenn and Maggie preparing the squirrel using the propane cooker that one of them had found. They both turned as he stuck his head inside and he faltered momentarily in his thoughts.

"Uh...gonna check some stuff out downstairs. Be back soon," He started to shut the door and then stuck his head back in as an afterthought, "Don't leave tha room," He added.

Maggie's face grew red and Glenn snickered. Daryl quickly shut the door behind him, not really caring if they had believed his sad excuse or not. Grabbing Carol's hand he tugged her down the steps behind him, trying to ignore the dull ache in his leg. He led her over to a corner of the room away from the doors and the stairs in case Glenn or Maggie should decide to come down anyway.

"Daryl?" Carol questioned.

"Shh," He said.

He pulled on her hand as he sat on one of the chairs that were scattered about, tugging her down into his lap. She came willingly, her hands sliding underneath his shirt to smooth over his broad chest. Daryl groaned as her cool hands spanned his chest, her nails raking lightly over his skin making him shiver. His hands did their own exploring, lifting the cups of her bra so that he could fondle her breasts. They were making out like a couple of horny teenagers, but at that moment Daryl couldn't care less.

He had just lifted her shirt, wanting a taste of her velvety skin when he heard the first gunshot. Acting on pure instinct, he wrapped his arms around Carol, rolling her underneath him as he took them both down to the floor. Another gunshot followed moments later, followed by a third before it grew quiet. Carol's eyes were wide, her breathing rapid as she stared up at Daryl, both of them wondering what was going on. Several minutes passed before they heard the door open upstairs.

"Daryl?" Glenn whispered.

Daryl swallowed, deciding that it was temporarily safe to move off of Carol and he rolled, "We're okay," He whispered back loudly.

He waited for Carol to situate her clothing and she nodded at him that she was okay. He crawled his way over to the window, slowly easing up to peer out. He looked around for several minutes, his eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary before he slid back down, his mind churning.

"Nothing?" Carol asked softly from her position across the room.

Daryl shook his head, his eyes drifting up to the stairs as Glenn and Maggie appeared, both of them ducking low just in case. Glenn had his gun in his hands, his eyes nearly frantic as they met Daryls. They exchanged words silently, their eyes conveying silent messages to each other.

Maggie joined Carol on the other side of the room while Glenn knelt down next to Daryl, looking out of the window just as Daryl had done moments before.

"Could you tell which direction they came from?" Glenn whispered.

Daryl shook his head, angry with himself for having been so distracted.

"No. Coulda come from anywhere," He responded.

"Three shots. You think it was someone from the group?" Glenn asked.

Daryl wasn't sure. He had had his doubts about anyone else being alive from there group until they had come across Glenn and Maggie. Now he wasn't sure if maybe they weren't all coming full circle, running up into each other as they traveled.

"Dunno. Need ta check it out though," Daryl replied, his eyes seeking out Carol's from across the room.

She rubbed at her forehead, her tension and worry shining through.

"Just be safe. _Please_ ," She whispered.

Daryl nodded, climbing to his feet next to Glenn.

"Always am."

...


	18. Chapter 18

...

Daryl led the way across the street towards where they had heard the gunshots, Glenn following close behind and keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Carol and Maggie were posted at the windows of the fire station, keeping cover with their guns for extra protection. Daryl was wary about the whole situation. For someone to use a gun usually meant there was some sort of emergency that called for it because everyone knew that guns attracted walkers. What worried Daryl the most was that there had been three gunshots. The whole situation just didn't sit well with him.

Daryl could see several walkers appearing from behind cars as he and Glenn ducked between two houses for cover.

"We got trouble coming. You sure this is worth it?" Glenn whispered.

Daryl shrugged, "Dunno, but I suppose we'll find out."

"I got a lot to lose here Daryl," Glenn's expression was worried.

"Ya think I don't? That woman back there," Daryl pointed in the direction of the firehouse, "is my world. I ain't got nothin' without 'er. Besides, if it was you an' Maggie that made them shots, wouldn't ya want someone ta check it out?"

Glenn let out a deep breath, his eyes scanning around them just as Daryl's were. Finally he nodded at Daryl.

"You're right. The least we can do is check it out. I don't feel safe sticking around here knowing someone has a gun and not knowing where they are anyhow."

"Damn straight," Daryl replied. "Let's head 'round back."

Daryl leaned around the corner, intending to check for walkers, when a flesh-eaten hand reached around the corner grabbing for him. Daryl was thrown slightly off balance, not having expected the unwelcome surprise waiting for him. Glenn moved up, stabbing the walker in the forehead forcefully, using his boot to push the rotted corpse back off of his knife. Daryl growled to himself, embarrassed at how easily the walker had knocked him to the ground. Glenn reached out a hand and Daryl grabbed it, accepting the help to climb to his feet.

"Thanks," Daryl tipped his head at Glenn who was breathing harshly.

Glenn merely nodded and Daryl turned, kicking the corpse in the head with his boot. A sickening squirt of brain matter and blood spilled onto the grass underneath it. Glenn raised an eyebrow at this action and Daryl shrugged.

"Asshole deserved it," Daryl muttered as they moved further in.

He stopped to inspect several footprints in a pile of dirt that sat near one of the houses, wrinkling his forehead in concentration. Even though he hadn't tracked his group in quite some time, he still had a good memory of what a lot of their tracks looked like. He started to signal for Glenn to come around him so that they could peek inside of the windows, but the door to the house opened before he could do so. He and Glenn both looked up at the same time, a startled expression on their faces.

...

"Do you see them? I don't see them now Carol," Maggie asked her for the tenth time.

Carol swallowed down her worry and tried to reassure the hormonal woman that everything would be fine. She worried about how convincing her statements were considering she herself wasn't even sure that everything would be fine. There were dozens of walkers rambling down the street, all drawn to the noise from the gunshots. Carol had lost count at fifteen walkers, knowing that anything that large was just considered a herd and didn't really matter how many there were. A herd was too many for the four of them to take on together, much less separated. Then there was the fact that Daryl hadn't been operating at one hundred percent either and Carol was chewing on her nails a bit as she stared out with Maggie.

"They'll be fine. They've done this a hundred times," Carol whispered.

Maggie glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, "And every time I still worry."

Carol reached over and squeezed Maggie's hand quickly before sliding her eyes back out to the scene before them, "They're fine," She repeated.

Maggie inhaled deeply and nodded, "You're right. I'm just being neurotic. Glenn gets on me about that."

Carol smiled softly, "Don't feel bad. Daryl gets on me about things too sometimes, but they only do it because they love us."

"I'm so glad that you and Daryl are together. I always knew that you were both perfect for each other, but you both were too blind to see what was right in front of you. That man loves you Carol; don't ever doubt that."

Even though Daryl had told her so himself, it still didn't stop the rush of emotion from flooding through her veins at hearing Maggie say it to her. In fact, she didn't think there would ever come a time when she would tire of hearing that Daryl loved her. It only took them a year apart to get it right, but it was better late than never.

Carol bit her lip as she kept an eye on the slow moving herd. She had last seen Daryl and Glenn darting between some of the houses across the street and once she had thought she had caught a glimpse of them moving behind the houses, but she wasn't sure. The best thing that they could do right now was to wait out the herd and hope that the men found somewhere safe until it moved out of the area. She wasn't really worried yet because she knew that Daryl wouldn't risk trying to dodge that herd to come back.

"They won't come out until it passes," Carol commented.

Maggie sighed, moving her eye away from the scope of her gun, "I know."

Maggie slid down to the floor while Carol maintained her position just in case. She watched as Maggie rubbed her belly with small circles and the image tugged at her heart.

"You know what absolutely terrifies me?" Maggie asked suddenly. "It's not the walkers or dying even. It's the fact that if something happens to Glenn then I'll have to raise this baby on my own in a world full of monsters."

Carol frowned, "You have to stay positive."

"I know. This is just between you and me though. I can't unload this type of stuff on Glenn. He's got so much on him already. It just feels good to get it off of my chest."

"I know how you feel. When I was out there on my own, the silence didn't seem to bother me all that much. Then when I found Daryl and we started talking, I began to realize how much I had missed that human interaction, how much I had craved just a simple touch or hug. It's eerie what you can get used to over time," Carol said.

"It-" Maggie's sentence was interrupted by the sound of the door being thrown open and more than two sets of feet entered the room, Carol's eyes traveling up to the faces of their intruders.

Glenn rushed over to Maggie and Daryl's eyes met hers as Carol stepped away from the window. A dozen emotions and unanswered questions were floating through her mind at that moment, her tongue seeming to have lost the ability to speak aloud. It was Maggie who spoke first.

"You both made it! Are you alone?" Maggie asked.

"We are now," Carl answered, his voice sounding rough.

Carol felt an arm wrap around her waist and she glanced over and into Daryl's eyes. There was a hardness there, but also a twinge of sadness as well and she knew in that moment what had happened. Squeezing his hand, she stepped over to Carl and embraced the boy, hugging him as tightly as she could. Leaving from him she moved to the person next to him, staring at the woman who had become a good friend to her over time.

"Michonne," Carol said.

She made no move to embrace the other woman, knowing that Michonne had never been one for public displays of emotion much like Daryl. So she was surprised to say the least when Michonne reached out and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. Carol returned the embrace and smiled at her when she pulled away.

"Are you hurt? Are you hungry?" Carol asked.

Michonne shook her head, her eyes drifting to Carl. Daryl stepped forward from his place near the wall, his expression grim. His eyes sought out hers, seeking comfort.

"Where's Rick? Judith?" Maggie whispered.

Glenn shook his head quickly, hoping to cut her off but it was too late. Carl glanced over at her, his expression blank and unreadable.

"He's dead. I shot him."

...


	19. Chapter 19

...

"He's dead. I shot him."

The heaviness of that statement hung in the air, the weight of it settling across the room like a heavy blanket. Glancing at Daryl, Carol realized that he had already heard this statement already or perhaps even seen something. She took a minute, turning that statement over and over in her head, trying to figure out how she felt about it. She wanted to feel sympathy for him and on some level she did, but for the most part she felt nothing. Just a blank empty space where she was sure she should feel sadness.

Rick hadn't been all bad, but he had had a heavy emotional burden on him that seemed to have finally snapped when she had seen him last. Gone was the friend she had once known, the leader, the protector of their group. In it's place had been a different Rick that she hadn't recognized. _That_ was the Rick that she didn't miss, the false Rick. When the tears didn't flow was the point that she realized that she had already grieved for the other Rick, for her _friend_. She had done her grieving for him a long time ago and now she just felt nothing.

Maggie was the only one who had tears running down her face, but Carol knew that part of that was her emotional and hormonal state. Glenn was working to console Maggie and as usual Michonne's face was a carefully blank portrait, devoid of all emotion. At first glance, Daryl's face seemed the same, but then she looked into his eyes, the windows of his soul, and saw a pain deep inside. Despite everything, despite how much he had raged about Rick, she knew that he would never wish the man dead. That just wasn't Daryl and that was one of the reasons she loved him.

Carol wanted to ask for details, wanted to ask how and why Carl had shot his father, but she knew that the wound was still fresh and she had a feeling that Daryl would tell her what she needed to know later. Right now her main focus was on the two members of their group who stood before them, alive and well.

"You must be hungry," Carol said suddenly. "Come, let's get you something to eat."

...

It was weird how you could wish so hard for something, distance yourself from it, only to finally be faced with it and want to take it all back. Daryl had felt that way upon learning about Rick. He had wanted it at one time, had _wished_ for it on his darkest days, but now that it was true, he felt a deep pain resonating in his soul.

Rick had done wrong. That much was true. What he had done with leaving Carol behind had been unforgivable in Daryl's eyes. It was easier to hate the man not knowing if he was alive or not than knowing that he was dead. Hating a dead man just seemed three different shades of wrong to him. Once upon a time, Rick had been the closest thing to a brother that Daryl had known and that's the man that he knew that he was mourning.

He tried to keep it all inside, tried not to let Carol see that he was hurting over this information. He didn't want her to think that he in any way had agreed with Rick's decision to send her away because he hadn't. He felt kind of the same way that he had when he had first learned about Merle. He had nowhere to place his rage, no where to direct his anger. He had been robbed of the chance to say those last few words to them both. Assholes that they both had been, they still meant something to him at the end of the day. They had just been misguided, derailed, their whole demeanor changing course and not for the better. But if there was one thing that Daryl had learned from Merle's death, it was that life went on. Regardless of what happened, who died, who _lived_ , life always went on. Days passed and seasons changed. Eventually the emotion that he felt from this would fade away and then he might finally be able to push onward without constantly looking over his shoulder.

When Carol came to him later that evening, he had been expecting her. Like a beacon of light shining in the darkness, she comforted him, his own personal savior. She was his one constant, the one truly good thing he had left in this life.

He was staring out of the window downstairs, staring out into the darkness when he heard her light footfalls on the steps behind him. The rest of the group were upstairs, talking quietly amongst themselves, the air still holding a heavy feel to it.

Thin arms slid around him encircling his waist and he inhaled deeply of her scent, letting it envelop him like a warm blanket.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

There it was. The million dollar question. How _was_ he doing? He supposed that all things considered he wasn't doing too badly. They had food, water, shelter, and most importantly - each other. The fact of the matter was Rick was gone and nothing anyone could do or say would change that. Daryl had accepted it and now he was ready to move on.

"I'm doin' alright considerin'. Ain't gonna break down or nothin'," He replied.

Carol nodded, her face pressed against his back, "Michonne told me what happened, how Rick had gotten sick. She said they had both watched him take his last breath, but she felt that he had been gone long before that. Michonne had taken the first shot when Carl knocked the gun from her hands and he shot Rick himself. Once in the head and once in the chest," Carol murmured.

Daryl nodded. He had heard bits and pieces to this story when he and Glenn had happened upon them.

"He was actin' fine, but ya can tell he ain't," Daryl replied.

"He will be. They're all talking to him now, trying to pull him out of this. He hasn't run off so that's a start."

Daryl turned in her arms, holding them securely around his waist as he did so.

"How are you feelin' 'bout all this?" He asked.

Carol shrugged, "I miss who he used to be, not who he was at the end. It was a downward spiral after Lori. Say what you will, but he never got over her."

Daryl nodded, "I think so too."

He leaned down, the faint light from the moon casting a glow over her soft features. Softly he brushed his lips over hers in a kiss that wasn't meant to arouse, but portray all of the emotion that he felt for her in that moment. She surrendered to him as she always did, as she always _would_ until he finally pulled away, his breathing heavy.

"Daryl..."Carol whispered.

He pressed a finger to her lips, "I need ya to know that I love ya. I know I told ya this before, but I'm sayin' it again cause I realized somethin' today. Death ain't prejudiced or racist an' when it's yer time, there ain't no second chances at life. I'll do everything in my power ta keep ya safe. Yer my reason for livin' Carol."

Carol's eyes shone with unshed tears, her eyes searching his in the darkness. He swiped his thumb over an escaped tear and she smiled up at him.

"I love you too Daryl, always and forever. Wherever you go, I'll be right there by your side. I know we can't guarantee much in this life, but I can guarantee that I won't stop loving you no matter what," She whispered.

They rested their foreheads against each other, their warm breath mingling in the chilly air of the night. Almost naturally, the beating of their hearts aligned and no more words were needed. Even though they had others, they only needed each other and that's all that mattered at the end of the day.

 


End file.
